


On A Balcony

by elijahking (orphan_account)



Series: On a Balcony [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: A little angst, Agender Frisk, Asexual Papyrus, Bad Puns, Biting, Card Games, Cards Against Humanity, Death and loss, F/M, Family, Family Shenanigans, Fingering, Fluff, Foul Language, Good times, Hallucinations, I'm Bad At Tagging, Karaoke, Kissing, Love, M/M, Magic Tricks, Multi, Mute Frisk, Oral Sex, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamorous Relationships, Post-Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader has no defined gender, Reader is a Twin, Romance, Sensitive bones, Sexual Humor, Sign Language, Singing, Snowed In, Soul Mingling, Strong Sibling Bond, Talking To Dead People, Twins, Underage Drinking, but not really, but that only happens in the one chapter and nothing bad happens so uh haha, heavy kissing, human magic, large family, like that's a big plot thing, polyamorous mettaton, reader uses they/them, the reader can use magic, this fic is a mess and i am sorry, vacationing, weird parental things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-04-30 05:50:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 59,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5152673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/elijahking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vacationing to the underground wasn't your idea of fun, but your family insisted, and hey, it probably won't be so bad anyway. And there, in the Underground, you meet a wide variety of monsters. More specifically, one skeleton that makes your heart leap out of your body. And another, who makes your twin sister's heart leap out of hers.  (post-pacifist where humans are totally cool with monsters)</p><p>-edited for consistency-</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ski Lift Your Spirits

**Author's Note:**

> well I ever come up with an original title? time will tell  
> also this chapter is very long and kind of boring i'm sorry but it will get better  
> also also, i keep seeing post pacifist fics where humans are like horrible to monsters and i just want everyone to get along (a long what? hah hah)  
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ykYyk34jtUBEFVrBAd05t25nUn3r3SUxmH1O897ZQE4/edit?usp=sharing  
> this is a family tree reference. sorry for the horrible handwriting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the cold, dark depths of the Underground! What kind of adventures await you?!

The blast of cold wind hit your face, making you immediately regret agreeing to come along on this vacation. You were basically forced to. Taking a vacation to the Underground wasn't exactly your idea of a good time, but your family, who you love very dearly, insisted, so maybe it'd be fun! Right?

The snow begged to disagree. Like, god damn, couldn't we have all vacationed to some kind of nice, sunny beach? No. Of course not. You didn't even _like_ skiing. But here you are, standing ankle deep in snow, with a bitter face and a pack of your stuff strapped to your back. It's just one week, you thought to yourself. I can survive one week in the cold. But _god,_ why did we go here WHEN IT WAS ALREADY WINTER ON THE SURFACE?!

Your thoughts were interrupted by a cold smack to the face. You blinked away the snow, turning to see some of your younger siblings giggling and readying more.

"Oh. Oh, it's on," you growled playfully, throwing down your stuff and scooping up snow into your palm. And thus began the war, ice flying this way and that, hurling through the air like graceful... well, snowballs. You know, this isn't what you had in mind for what to do down here after the barrier broke. You were thinking more along the lines of epic adventures with monsters a plenty, but, being a tourist is okay, too, you guess. You launch another snowball, and Haley (the third youngest sister) dodged, landing in a... snow poff... great aim, there, kiddo... and the snowball flies, flies... landing on a monster. A rather small one, and with a squeal, it landed in the snow. Shit, god, no this is not how you wanted to start this off. You trudged over, calling out:

"Hey! Oh, god, I'm so sorry, I was totally aiming for my sister, are you okay?!" You knelt down, lifting up the tiny monster. It looked like an upside-down ice cream cone. It shook the snow off its self.

"My hat! Is my hat okay?!" It touched the hat, which you swore was just part of its ice-made body, and adjusted it.

"Uh, yeah, no damage done I think."

"Oh, great," It sighed in relief. "My hat is so cool, don't you think?"

"...Sure, lil buddy." You put them down. It grinned, apparently happy you liked his hat, and skipped off. What an odd little fellow, you thought, but... wait, did it make a pun? You groaned, smacking yourself for not seeing that in the moment. Your ears perked up at the sound of your name being called.

"Heeey! Come on, kid, we gotta check in!" You went back over to where you dropped your stuff, really wishing the older members of your family would stop calling you kid. You're almost twenty, for christ's sake. Whatever, you weren't in the mood for an argument, so you picked up the bag, brushing off the remnants of the battle and followed the group up to the resort.

The resort apparently opened up just a few months after the barrier broke because a bunch of humans thought it was a really great place to do winter activities. Now it'd become a staple vacation spot in the five years that had passed. Snowdin? Was that the name of the place? Ah, yes, the sign above the resort entrance reaffirmed this. Year round snowy hills and forests, so you couldn't disagree. You felt a tap on your shoulder as you were staring.

"Hey, mom's waiting," your twin sister, Jo(celyn), jerked her head inside. "And someone already complained about bringing all the cold in by the door being held open."

"You'd think they'd all be used to it by now, right?" You chuckled, entering in. On the outside, the resort seemed on the small side, but there's probably some sort of weird hammerspace magic stuff going on because it was HUGE on the inside. And fairly warm, too, despite how on either side, windows towered from floor to ceiling. The carpet was a bit of a drab gray compared to everything else, but they probably just wanted something easy to take care of. There was a lounge area, with some very comfortable-looking couches and ottomans (matching dogtooth patterns that would probably get on your nerves fairly soon), a giant fireplace (a bit cliche), hardwood accents and a source of light that you couldn't quite identify from the ceiling. It just seemed to cascade on forever into white. Jo pushed you forward, up to the check in desk, where the mass of parents were scrambling to get everyone in order.

The clerks, two humans and a slime monster respectively, were surprisingly calm during the ruckus. In all, they were able to account for all... twenty? Of you? Jeez, you really got surprised at how big your family was when you actually thought about it. But it was a happy family, and you couldn't ask for anything better.

"huh, you really got your work cut out for ya," an unfamiliar voice said besides you. You whipped around, staggering backwards into Jo (who then nearly toppled into your dad, who then set of the chain of events of people stumbling over each other), grabbing at your chest. Standing there was... a skeleton. Short, round, wearing a blue coat, basketball shorts, and pink house slippers. He was smiling. Or... that was just his face.

"Jesus christ," you gasped.

"nah, i'm sans. sans the skeleton." His voice was... low, almost gravelly. Bone grinding against bone, but not harsh against the ears.

"...and already, I hate you," you groaned. "Don't scare people like that, especially people you don't know. It's super rude, man."

"heh. can't say i'm too sorry. so which ones are yours?"

"Huh?" You furrowed your brow, confused. Jo peeked her head over her shoulder.

"Ooh, skeleton! Neat."

"wait, there are two of you?"

"We're twins," you said simultaneously, rolling your eyes. One of the dads called to the two of you. "Hey, Sans, nice to meet you. I'm ------, and this is Jo, my twin sister."

"Hiya!" She gave a silly grin, nearly as wide as the skeleton's. "But we gotta go. We'll see you around, yeah?"

"sure, kiddo," oh no not him too, "i'm runnin a hot dog stand out by the slopes." You made a gagging noise.

"Ugh, gross." Jo elbowed you.

"C'mon, dude, we gotta go put our stuff away before one of the little ones steals the good beds."

"Oh, crap, right!" You went to catch up with the rest of them, turning back one last time to say goodbye to Sans, but he was gone. "...what an odd fellow."

* * *

With the size of your family, you were surprised that they hadn't completely booked out the whole place, but whatever. You got an entire room to just you and Jo! And... Barry, who was just a year younger than you and Jo. It was that or being stuck with the four year old, and, haha, no. Not happening. You like to be surrounded by people your own age. 

While everyone was eager to get back out into the snow, you just wanted to relax and have some hot cocoa. The hotel provided a little peppermint stick with it! How cute. You plopped onto one of the ugly couches in the lounge and gazed out the windows. Trees for miles, and miles, and miles... Just how big was Underground, anyway? Risen above the trees were the telltale ribbons of wire for the ski lifts, and beyond that, inky darkness with pinpricks of blue star-like gems. It was oddly beautiful, and you wondered aloud why anyone would want to leave a place like this.

"eh, it gets pretty claustrophobic once you're used to it." You jumped, nearly spilling the cocoa all over your lap.

"Fuck, Sans," you sighed, recovering from the heart attack. What the hell was with this guy??

"fuck sans? if you say so," he chuckled, "didn't know you were so eager to jump my bones already."

"...I'm going to ignore that you ever said that." He laughed, then crawled over the top of the sofa, somersaulting onto the cushions beside you. "Why do you keep talking to me, anyway?"

"you seem like the oldest. i mean, aside from the adults," he shrugged, the white lights in his eyes closing for a second, as if blinking. 

"Don't you have a hot dog stand to run, or something?" You turned away, feeling a little weirded out. 

"'s not open yet. besides, i thought i'd be the first to introduce you tourists to the underground!" He waggled his fingers at the word 'underground.' You noticed, very faintly, little blue lights at his fingertips. 

"Oh, so spooky," you said sarcastically. 

"so, you didn't answer my question earlier."

"Huh?" You rumbled your nose, thinking back. "Oh, I guess I didn't understand what you meant."

"which ones are your parents?"

"Pff, all of them," you snorted. 

"...wait, what?"

"Yeah, they're all, uh, in a relationship. Some of them are married, some of them are dating, it's... complicated."

"explain." He knotted his fingers under his chin. Oh, boy, you LOVED explaining your family. People thought it was pretty weird, but you thought it was the greatest dang thing in the world.

"Alright," you set the mug down on the tabletop, sitting forward. "My birth parents are Trish-" you pointed to her, currently cleaning "-oh, that's the baby of the family, his name is Nate," Nate's face, covered in god knows what. "And Paul, who's... I think, leading that pack of my siblings to the slopes." You squinted outside at the vague shapes in the distance. "Yeah, I think so. Paul is solely committed to Trish, they're married,but Trish is in a relationship with Zane and Jody, who are also dating each other. Jody is divorced to Dave, who isn't here, thank fuck," you rolled your eyes. "But technically he's in on all this too, since Trish co-parented Elizabeth and Emily, who are my sisters, I guess? So Zane and Jody are Paul's metamors, where they're not seeing each other but they understand the nature of the polyamorous relationship. Zane is married to Aron, and I think they're out at the bar?" You craned your head back, trying to see if you could spot them in the far-off room. "Ahh, whatever. So, Jo's my twin sister, and we have one other sibling from the same two parents, Haley."

"my head is spinning already..." He sat back in the couch. "how do you keep this all straight?"

"By being gay," you joked, smirking. He squinted. How was that even possible he's a skeleton??? "No, I get confused a lot myself, and I get names mixed up all the time. Do you want me to continue?"

"oh heck yeah, this is really interesting. i only have my brother, Papyrus-" you interrupted him with a snort. "what? did i tickle your funny bone?"

"God, please, stop," you giggled. "Oh man. Are all skeletons named after fonts?"

"i have no idea what you're talking about."

"And you're a COMIC, this- this is too much to handle, oh man. Comic Sans." 

"that i am." You shook your head, trying to rid yourself of the disbelief. 

"ANYWAY. Where was I. Haley. Right. Zane and Aron have an adopted son, Barry, he's closest in age to us; Zane had kids with Trish, another set of twins named Ashley and Cath-, I mean, Carl," you shook your head. "He changed his name like two weeks ago, so I'm still getting used to it. And then there's Jeremy and, of course, Nate, and... I don't know where the triplets are but they'll be around. I don't like them much. They're real big pranksters, the triplets. Kevin, Ed, and Billy. God. They're, what, four years younger than me? The first time I met them, they tried to prank me by leaving a bottle of ketchup unscrewed and when I tipped it over, it fell all over my french fries. Thus began a decade of attempted fratricide," You sipped at your now room-temperature cocoa (ew, gross)

"my kind of prank," he chuckled.

"Don't encourage it! Anyway, that's... about it." You nodded with a note of finality.

"...wow. must be pretty nice to have a big family like that, huh?"

"It has its ups and downs. It's a lot like the slopes."

"ooh, good one!" he chuckled. "ah, it's about time for me to go," he hopped off the couch. "it was ice to meet you. we should ketchup sometime," he winked.

"Did you just-?"

"chill, man." His grin widened, if that was even possible.

"Sans."

"this is snow joke to you, huh?"

"OH MY GOD!" You threw your head back, covering your face with your hands in second-hand embarrassment. "You are LITERALLY the wo...rst..?"

In the time that you had lifted your head back up, he had disappeared, leaving you only with the echo of his charismatic laugh. You blinked, taking in a deep breath. What a cutie patoot! And he makes bad puns, to boot!

So, maybe you weren't so sure about this vacation in the first place, but halfway through the first day and the ski lifts had already lifted your spirits. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

 


	2. Galavanting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are three things that you absolutely knew for certain: your sister is a dork, you need to brush up on your sleight of hand, and you are absolutely incredible at karaoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why do i keep writing?? i have other things to finish!!! aaaggh!!! it's taking over my life!!!!  
> elevator music (best heard while bobbing your head slightly left and right):  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZldeQ6JSJo
> 
> super long chapter! next one will be a bit shorter! hopefully less than 1k words lol. the protag (you) is revealed to be transgender in this fic, and you can take that in any way you like. however! gender neutral terms will continue to be used.  
> family tree ref: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ykYyk34jtUBEFVrBAd05t25nUn3r3SUxmH1O897ZQE4/edit?usp=sharing

You realize you hadn't checked your phone since you got Underground. Jeez, what is WRONG with you? You dug into your pocket and pulled it out, quickly realizing that you probably wouldn't get any service down here. Still, it was worth checking. No bars, but you could connect to the resort's wi-fi (how do they even have that down here?) and at least check social media to see if anything interesting or horrible happened while you were gone. A few sparse notifications from friends wishing you a good trip, and an email about a fanfiction you follow having a new chapter published. Ooh, that's always fun!

You clicked on the chapter and began reading, totally engrossed in the work. This chapter was extra long and juicy. You giggled, sinking further into the couch, keeping the phone close to your body so anyone who looked over wouldn't know that you were reading smut in public. A few paragraphs in, and you were suddenly blind.

"Guess who?" You shut your phones screen off and pried Jo's hands away from your face. "Aw, you always take the fun out of everything." She leaned over the back of the couch. "Everythin's put away. Thanks for helpin', not."

"Ah, bug off," you groaned. "I'm always the one puttin' stuff away at home. It's my vacation too."

"Pff, yeah, whatever, you lazy bum," she flicked the side of your head. "Seems like everyone's eager to go back out into the wastelands."

"Yeah, dad took all the little ones out, seems like. More quiet time for us, I suppose." She hopped over the back of the couch and cuddled up to you. "Jeez what is with you guys and not sitting on couches like normal people!"

"What are you talking about?" She snorted. "I'm far from normal."

"Oh, whatever, you dork." You noogied her lovingly. 

"I am also not a whale penis."

"Saying that makes you a bigger dork."

"I am the world's largest whale penis."

"You're gonna impregnate so many whale bitches."

"I have a whole harem of them!" She spread her arms wide. The two of you were quickly dissolving into giggles. 

"You'll have a whale of a time."

"It's my porpoise in life."

"I don't sea this going anywhere anytime soon."

"Water we even doing?"

"Being dorks, is what we're doing." And you finally broke down into almost sobs of laughter. Wiping the corner of your eyes, you took a deep breath.

"Ah, man, I bet that skeleton would have liked those puns."

"Probably! He was just here, actually. I guess he likes me or something," you shrugged, rolling your eyes. "He asked about the family. Found out he's got a brother- oh, and get this, his brother's name is _Papyrus_."

"No."

"Yeah."

"Oh my god that's-"

"-Right?!" Jo chortled, sitting up off of you. 

"Oh man, that's too good."

"Hey, you two!" Both you and your sister turned your heads. Zane and Aron were approaching, drinks in hand. "You up to no good?"

"Eyup," you said at the same time.

"Ah, grand, glad we could join the party." They sat adjacently to you, cuddling up in a similar fashion.

"They let you out of the bar with those?" You pointed to the drinks in their hands.

"Oh, yeah, I mean, we are adults after all. But it's a one-drink limit, so, whatever." Zane sipped at what looked like a strawberry daiquiri. "We met a couple of lovely monsters in there. They're all so friendly! Probably even more so than humans."

"And one of them had the same name as me," Aron jumped in. "And, whoo, what a hottie!"

"Oh my god, you were such a flirt."

You and Jo shared a glance, like, 'can you believe these guys?' They went on at length about their short encounters, Aron waving a slip of paper with the strange "sea horse"s (as he described it) phone number written on it. "Okay, that's cool and all, but uh, we have, somewhere else to be. Right, Joey?"

"Yeah, to- STOP CALLING ME JOEY!!!"

"Nyuk nyuk nyuk," you chuckled, escaping her death grip by launching yourself off the couch and out of reach. "You'll never catch me alive!" You started running off, Jo at your heels.

"Have fun, you two," Zane called after you. You jogged out to the middle of the lobby, easily dodging her feeble swipes at you. She did manage, however, to grab your sweater and drag you to the ground, where she pinned you and made some really weak attempts at death threats. That's how it's been since birth. 

"Please no rough housing in the lobby!" A squeaky voice came from the counter. The both of you looked over and apologized to the poor, terrified bunny girl at the counter. She must have taken over for the slime monster at some point. "Thank you!" 

Jo hopped off of you, pulling you up. "Jerk."

"Bitch." You punched each other in the shoulder and laughed. "So, what now? I mean, it's probably only like... five pm or something."

"Hm, we could grab a bite to eat. Though it seems like time doesn't exist down here, really? I haven't seen a single clock, and the sky doesn't seem to change..." 

"Oh, huh, yeah, you're right," you glanced out the window again. "But food sure does sound good. I think they have a buffet here or something. I wonder what monster food is like!" You clapped your hands together, rubbing them in excitement. 

"I bet it's all got meat!" She grinned maniacally. 

"...I really, really hope not," your stomach churned at the thought. Before passing the check in desk, you paused to ask the same bunny girl (her nametag indicated her name to be Alice, which you physically had to hold back your laughter at that), "hey, there's vegetarian options here, right?"

"Oh!" She squeaked. "Of course! We have a wide range of foods, and there's a decent mix of both human and monster food."

"I see. Thank you," you waved, continuing past. Jo was waiting for you by the elevator. The resort restaurant/buffet was one floor below. She pressed the down button and... you waited. 

...

...

Ding!

Enter.

...

...

Pleasant elevator music. Sort of jazzy piano stuff. Door closed. Press button for B1. Vrrrr.

...

...

..................

Ding!

You and your sister exit, feeling oddly refreshed from that elevator ride. 

"Well. That was certainly. Something."

"Agreed. Shall we dine?"

"Indeed. Wine and dine."

"We're too young for wine."

"Not in Europe!" She had a point. Down a hallway, one turn to the left, and the restaurant opened itself to you. 

"Ah, but we are in Underground, not Europe," you bowed slightly and waved her in first.

"Ladies first?"

"Eyup."

"Sexist bastard." You chuckled a little. A... vegetable...? Wearing a bow tie??? Was standing at the host stand. They looked to be a parsnip or turnip of some sort with narrow eyes and a wide smile.

"Ah, welcome, welcome, friends! Will it just be the two of you tonight?" You both nodded. "Grand. My name is Vegetoid, and I will be your gracious host and server tonight. Come, follow me to your table!" You followed the small, hopping Vegetoid to a booth table, where he seated you. "Now, you may already know about our buffet-" He gestured the leaves at the top of his head to the buffet, where a few other monsters (and much to your surprise, humans not related to you), were getting their fill, "-but we also have a physical menu that you can order off of. It has many specials which are not offered at the buffet."

"Oh, that sounds interesting," Jo piqued. "Could we look at the menus and then decide?"

"Of course, m'lady!" You snickered as she narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not... anyone's... lady."

"Apologies! I did not mean to offend. I'll be right back with your menus." He hopped away.

"Wow, I can't believe he said that," you snorted. 

"I'm starting to think that I should get the buffet so I don't have to tip him," she murmured. 

"WOW." Vegetoid quickly returned, placing the menus down in front of you.

"Would either of you like something to drink while you decide?"

"Just water," you both responded. He once again hopped away. "Ooh, some of this stuff looks pretty good," you smiled. There were pictures to couple with the menu items. "I think I'll order off the menu... The quiche sounds pretty good." Jo narrowed her eyes, leaning into the menu. "...did you forget your contacts?"

"I may have..." You sighed. 

"You're lucky I always have a spare set." You reached into your jacket pocket and pulled out the case, then slid it over the table to her. She mumbled a thanks. Two glasses of water were sat in front of you.

"Are either of you ready to order?"

"I am," you gestured to Jo, who was awkwardly holding her eye open, "but she's probably-"

"-definitely-"

"-definitely going to get the buffet. I'll take the vegetable quiche."

"Lovely choice! The vegetables are grown right here in Snowdin, you know."

"Ah," you wondered how anything could grow in the frozen dirt but you thought it'd be better not to question it. "Can I get the roasted tomato sauce on the side?"

"Of course."

* * *

 

Dinner went off mostly without a hitch, because halfway through the meal Emily and Elizabeth had joined you, claiming they were bored and lonely. Ah, to be 16 and 14 again. When Vegetoid presented you your check, you grinned. Not too shabby, only about 25G. You dug out your wallet and placed it on the table, thankful that you had reminded your parents that they would have a different currency down here. Vegetoid thanked you, about to take your payment, but you stopped him.

"Yes?"

"I have something for you! Don't think you're getting away without a tip!" Jo shot you a nasty glare. You shot one back to shut her up before she said anything. You rolled up your sleeves and raised your hands, wiggling the fingers. "Nothing up my sleeves, right?"

"...Right?" Vegetoid raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh, mister Vegetoid, you seem to have something behind your... leaf!" You made do. "May I grab it?"

"S-sure!" He lowered himself down and you reached behind the closest leaf, and when you retracted your hand, in between your fingers was a gold piece. He gasped. "Wh- HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!"

"A magician never reveals their secrets!" You flipped the coin over and under your fingers.

"H-humans can't do magic! Th-that's impossible! I... oh..." He swooned, collapsing on the floor. 

"Uh," the four of you stared at each other.

"...this is pretty great," Elizabeth said.

"How is it great?! I just made a vegetable faint!"

"I guess he got pretty-"

"DON'T"

"-steamed over it."

Everyone groaned.

"This is great LARP material, though."

"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH," you slammed your hands down on the table. Everyone was staring at you, now. "Could someone please see if Vegetoid is okay?!"

* * *

 

You grumbled the entire way back to your room, with the other three fake sword fighting behind you, using their arms as swords. "Guys could you PLEASE cut it out?!"

"No!" The chorus of three sang out, continuing their silliness. You grumbled louder, directly at them, digging through your pockets for the key.

"Oh," you gasped, "Joey, do you have the key? And the contact case?" Both objects flew and hit you in the head. "...thanks."

"Hey, girls?" Trish peeked her head out the door across the hall. "I just got Nate, Haley, and Jeremy to go to sleep... can you keep it down?"

"Sorry, mom," the three of them whispered regrettably. 

"Did dad already finish skiing with all of them? It's only been a few hours," you asked.

"Pff," she giggled, "Hardly even got started before they all started complaining about being tired. The triplets and twins tried a few slopes but they're on their way back right now... Oh, and Carl said something about karaoke in the bar tonight around... oh, it starts in like ten minutes, if any of you want to go. I think Jody is going."

"Ooooh," Emily hummed. "Def going, you, Liz?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." They chased each other a few doors down. "We'll see you guys there, right?"

"...how bout it, sib?" Jo shrugged. 

"Eh, sure, why not."

"I won't be joining you guys, since I have to watch over the little ones. Have fun!" Trish stepped back into the room, quietly shutting the door. You unlocked the door and waved to your sisters, pulling Jo inside. Barry was laying on the bed, flipping through television channels.

"Oh hey guys. Thought I heard some sorta ruckus outside.."

"And you couldn't be a gentleman and come unlock the door?" You said indignantly.

"Nah. Too lazy for that." He shrugged. "You guys goin' to karaoke?"

"Yeah," Jo responded, digging through her suitcase. "Just gotta change."

"You want me to step out?" 

"Why?"

"...I don't know, most people get weirded out when they're changing in front of others."

"Your attention is focused on the tv anyway." You pulled off your jacket and shirt and started looking through the closet. Barry, lazy as he claims to be, had already hung up his clothes. You picked out your favorite flannel of his. "Mind if I borrow this?"

"Just keep it already, you wear it more than I do," he said, muffled into the pillow under his chin. He changed the channel again. "Ooh, robot flick."

"Thanks, bro," you tugged the sleeves over your arms and hung up your used clothing. You also decided that a change of shoes might be pretty nice, going for the pair of comfy slippers you had brought and putting the winter boots into the closet. You sighed comfortably, wiggling your toes in the warm cotton. Jo had changed into a white t-shirt with a single blue snowflake printed on it and a pair of sweat pants with a faded logo of some theme park on them. "You ready, Jo-Jo?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she shrugged. "And seriously? Stop with the nicknames." You grinned. 

"Never. Let's go, Em and Liz are probably waiting for us."

* * *

 

The bar was absolutely packed. There was apparently a list you had to sign up on, so you went and did that. Liz and Emily were eager to get a spot close to the top, and they ended up being put down as the third to go. Of course they'd perform together. But then again, you couldn't really judge, because you and Jo wanted to do your usual together. You took the eighth and she took the ninth, so you could have back-to-back performances together. 

Your eyes scanned the crowd and you saw Eddy raising his hand up to beckon you over to the large table they had landed. "Yoooo," he called out. He was wedged between Kevin and Ashley.

"Where's Carl and Billy?"

"Carl needed to use the bathroom and didn't feel comfortable going alone, so Billy tagged along," Ashley said meekly. It had been a bit weird for her, having a transgender twin, but she and Jo were in the same boat along those lines. But she was doing better than just about anyone else.

"I see. Are all of you gonna participate, or just watch?"

"Eh, I like seeing people embarrass themselves," Kevin shrugged. 

"But also, you can't sing," Eddy elbowed him, getting a 'shut up' from Kevin.

"I'd like to, but uh, you know. Stage fright," Ashley rubbed the back of her head nervously. "But I thought it'd be cool to watch and do some gesture sketches!" She held up her prized sketchbook.

"That's pretty smart," Emily commented, sliding into the booth of the round table. "Oh, it's starting already!"

There was a live band and everything. Apparently it was open to the public, so many monsters had traveled to the resort in hopes of singing their hearts out. The first one started off a little shaky, but she ended up having a wonderful voice. A few of them were drunk, and one pair, a monster and a human, hung sloppily over each other while they sung a rendition of "Why Can't We Be Friends." It was quite humorous. Liz and Em, being professionally trained, blew everyone away and got a huge round of applause. They got carted off stage by someone in a suit, and you just assumed it was another person looking to scout them. Soon enough came your turn, and your stomach was filled with butterflies. It'd been a while since you last sung with a crowd this big. Jo pushed you up on to the stage, and you jokingly slapped her away. Turning to face the endless sea of faces, you gulped and leaned forward.

"Hola. Me llamo es -----"

"Oh my god don't speak Spanish, you dork," Jo giggled. The audience had a few laughs scattered among them. "Anyway. I'm Jocelyn, and this is my twin, -----." You turned to the band.

"Hey, can I borrow that guitar?" The guitarist shrugged and handed it off to you. "Thanks." Turning back to the microphone, you said, "We'll be doing two performances in a row. I know, I know, seeing double in so many aspects!" Another few laughs, but mostly groans. "Thank you, I'll be here all week. You ready, sis?"

"You betcha."

You indicated the song to the band in a stage whisper, and they nodded in recognition. You began to strum the guitar up and down, fingers flowing smoothly between the strings and notes. You started off:

 _"I made a wreck out of my hand, I put it through the wall,_ _I made a fist and not a plan,"_ Jo joined in,  _ **"Call me a reckless wrecking ball;** I threw my plate against the wall,  **And give it all I got,** I aim to break not one but all,  **I'm just a big ol' wrecking ball;** I am unruly in the stands [ **oooooooooohhhhhh]** I am a rock on top of the sand, I am a fist amidst the hands   [ **oooooooooohhhhhh],** And I break it just because I can._  
  
_**Dadadah dah dadadah  
****Dadadadah dah dah, oh, oh, oh,**_

  
_It takes a dedicated hand, **To put it through the wall!** You gotta wanna break the heart,  **Of all those pretty porcelain dolls,** You gotta wanna be the drummer in a band,  **You gotta wanna be a battering ram,** You gotta see the artistry in **Tearing the place apart with me, baby;** I am unruly in the stands [ **oooooooooohhhhhh],** I am a rock on top of the sand, I am a fist amidst the hands   [ **oooooooooohhhhhh],** And I break it just because I can._

_**Leeet's break it! Just because we can, Defaace it! Just because we can, Let's break it! Juuuuust because, just because, just because, just becauuuse.....  
** _

_I am unruly in the stands, **I am a rock on top of the sand,** I am a fist amidst the hands, and I make a wreck out of my hand,  **I make a fist and not a plan** , and I break it  **just because I can! Because I can! Because I can, because I can, because I can, because I can, because I can, because I can, because I caaaaaaannnn..."**    
_

You trailed off, the last notes hanging in the air with a fading last few strums. The crowd went wild, getting you a grin from Jo. "Well, if y'all liked it that much, just wait until you hear our next one..." You handed her the guitar for this one, because you'd be preoccupied with most of the lyrics. You turned back to the band, noticing the cross-looking guitarist. "Sorry for stealing your instrument, bud."

"Yeah, whatever, man," they scoffed, whipping their tail indignantly. "What's the song?" You tell them, and the drummer and bassist get into position. You noticed off to the side there was a little DJ stand, run by... something you couldn't identify, probably for any parts that the small band couldn't play. The drum started going, and you began to clap your hands to the beat, prompting the audience to follow along and do the same. You took the microphone in your hand, and in the lowest, sultriest voice you could manage:

 _"Have you got color in your cheeks? D'you ever get that feel that you can't shift the type that sticks around like somethin' in your teeth? Are there some aces up your sleeve? Have you no idea that you're in deep? I dreamt about you nearly every night this week... How many secrets can you keep? 'C_ _ause there's this tune I found that makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat, un_ _til I fall asleep, s_ _pilling drinks on my settee.. **Do I wanna know?** "_

Lights flickered, shutting off, cutting the music. A murmur swept through the audience, and at the top of her lungs, Jo said, "...DO I WANNA KNOW WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Cue audience laughter. It was hard to see, but the two of you managed to give the guitar back to its rightful owner and make your way to the table. 

"Sorry, everyone! Looks like we're having a small power outage! Please remain calm while we figure this out. We can resume karaoke after this brief interruption," a voice came from up on stage. 

"Oh, what a loss," you heard Billy sigh. "And you two were doing SO well."

"Don't tell me this was one of YOUR pranks!"

"Us? Do something mischievous? Never," Kevin balked. 

"Yeah, ------, have a little faith."

"Never had any to begin with," you murmured. 

"if any of you are the cause of this... you're gonna have a bad time," a voice quipped from the front of the table. You jumped, gripping onto the table. 

"Fucking- SANS STOP DOING THAT!" You shouted at the skeleton. You could only see the white pinpricks of his eyes.

"Who's that?" Ashley meeped. 

"I gotchu," Carl said reassuringly. 

"Ugh, it's just this skeleton, who can apparently  _teleport_ , that we met earlier," you said dismissively. "Sans, this is everyone over the age of thirteen, everyone over the age of thirteen, this is Sans the skeleton."

"hi everyone over the age of thirteen," he giggled. 

"Nice to see you again," Jo spoke up. "So to speak."

"It's sans-sational to meet you," Eddy, you think, said. 

"ooooh, good one, i'll have to remember that. does everyone in your family make puns?" The question was obviously directed at you.

"Yeah, pretty much. I think it runs in our genes."

"Actually, I'm wearing a skirt," you could hear the grin in Ashley's voice. You groaned, leaning your head onto the table. 

"i'm impressed! but i'm gonna have to  _pleat_ you to stop," he retorted. The group laughed in astoundment. "anyway, ------, i wanted to just say that you and your sister were great up there."

"Aww, thank you, Sans!" Jo loved compliments.

"Hey, what about us?!" Liz stamped her foot under the table. 

"sorry, i only just got here, so i missed the opening performances. wanted to come earlier, but it got busy at the hot dog stand. anyway, i'm heading out home. my brother gets cranky without his bedtime story, you know."

"Sounds like Jeremy," one of the triplets sighed. 

"Oh oh oh!" You and Jo bounced in unison. "His brother's name is Papyrus!"

"Are you serious?"

"why do you keep bringing that up? i mean, he's the coolest, but-"

"Oh my god Comic Sans and Papyrus. They're fonts."

"RIGHT?!"

"This is gold. This is absolute gold."

"i'm confused now."

"I'll tell you later," you said to the side. "Anyway, thanks for coming. Hope you and your brother have a good night, man."

"same to you and your very large family. seeya."

The lights came back on, temporarily blinding you, and in the spot where you thought he was, Sans had vanished from. Well then. Odd fellow. Odd fellow indeed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!! friendly reminder!! if you wanna contact me my tumblr is letterstolapis!! i mean on here is fine too but i'm there a lot more often  
> songs used for the karaoke scene are "Wrecking Ball" by Mother Mother and "Do I Wanna Know?" by Arctic Monkeys (which I actually sang for karaoke at UB Minicon... I was mettaton! i hope pictures crop up soon)


	3. oh no

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a glorious first day, you get some well deserved rest, only to wake up to your sister urging you to take a shot at the ski lifts. It's there that you are joined by a certain skeleton, and it is afterwards that you tumble into a series of unfortunate events. Papyrus and Frisk make an appearance finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the chapter that i add an alcohol warning tag uhh haha  
> so i lied about this being shorter. i hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.  
> CHAPTER HAS BEEN SLIGHTLY MODIFIED

You had conked out sometime soon after getting back to the room, not even bothering to remove your clothes for proper pajamas. Whatever, you'd deal with stinky flannel in the morning, whenever morning happened. You had a few weird dreams. Stuff like... being able to control objects with your mind. They'd glow purple when you did. It was kind of cool, actually. Oh, and your high school crush showed up in them?? You hadn't thought about them since you went to university. Odd. But dreams are just that, dreams.

You woke up to Jocelyn shaking your arm. "Heeeeeeeeeeyyyyyy. Wake uuuuuuuup. You've been napping for hourrrrsssssss."

"Mm, yeah," you mumbled into the drool-coated pillow. "I believe that's called sleeping." 

"UGH IT'S LIKE ONE IN THE AFTERNOON OR SOMETHING."

"Is that local time or Jojo Joestar time?"

"YOU DON'T EVEN WATCH THAT ANIME!!!"

"Heh, you got me there." Your eyes slid open, only to shut themselves again when being confronted by the harsh light. "Gah! Did you have to turn on ALL of the lights?! Jesus Christ, woman, you're going to blind me!" She made an unsatisfactory grunt and slid off the bed. Click! 

"Okay, it's safe to come out now," she taunted. You peeked one eye open, and, determining that it was dim enough, you opened the other and pushed yourself up from the mattress. 

"...Barry already gone?"

"Yeah, because unlike you he isn't a complete loser and sleeps in on his vacation."

"Okay, that was uncalled for."

"YOU'RE UNCALLED FOR!"

"YOUR FACE IS UNCALLED FOR!"

"YOUR MOM IS UNCALLED FOR!"

"SHE'S YOUR MOM TOO, LOSER!"

"Oh yeah." Her face fell from an anger to a contemplation. "So, anyway, get up, we're gonna go do stuff today. Stuff that involves going a place you've never been!" You shifted yourself to the edge of the bed, feet touching the carpet.

"Yeah? Where'll that be?" Jo flopped down beside you, clasping an arm around your shoulder. She extended her other arm out, waving it in an arc.

_"Outside!"_

"Okay you know what-"

* * *

 

You were dressed to the nines. The tens, even! Golly, you were so good at dressing yourself! 

This was entirely sarcasm, of course. You dressed for the weather, since Jo basically forced you into this against your will. You wore a poofy red coat that made you look and feel like a bloated apple, a leather aviator's hat, a scarf that matched your coat, and some powder-blue ski pants (as your sister called them- you didn't care, but you were endlessly entertained by the swish swish swish they made as you walked). Oh, yeah, and some black boots, but, that's kind of a given. Some aviator goggles dangled from your neck. It's for the aesthetic, you had insisted. Jo just shook her head.

The two of you had trudged all the way out to where the lifts were. There, they rented out skis and poles, and even goggles to protect against the wind. But you only needed the first two items, so you dropped a few dozen gold on the counter. They gave you what you needed, along with a ticket that you'd have to hold onto if you didn't want to pay the fee the rest of your stay. You considered refusing the ticket, but Jo would probably make you do this at least four times, so you shoved it into your pocket for now. You stepped forward to the short line. At the front, you saw Paul and the triplets making a fool of themselves. Typical. Briefly you wondered where everyone else was, but they'd probably tell you later. 

"Hey, you kinda have to get your skis on in order to, you know, ski?" Jo rose an eyebrow at you, lips strung in a frown.

"Yeah well so do you." You looked down. "Ah, nevermind. I'll get them on once we get up there."

"Whatever you say, boss." Quicker than expected, your turn at the lifts came. "I'm gonna go on up ahead of you," she said, readying herself for the next chair as you strapped the skis on.

"Wait! Jo I've only done cross-country, I'm not ready for this!"

"Too bad," she shrugged. The chair came and she sat her sassy ass on it, pulling the bar over her head. 

"Jo!" You cried out in desperation, shuffling up to the line. Up, up, and away she went, calling back:

"Good luuuuuck!" You whined, pouting. Some sister  _she_ was. You turned your head back, kneeling down slightly, trying to remember everything she taught you. Hand on the seat, sit back, let it pull you forward, lean into the chair, pull the bar forward. Okay, that was mostly harmless. You settled back into the chair, slightly off center, trying to calm your nerves before the peak of the hill came.

"well this is fun, huh?"

"SHSJFJEEAAASSSUUUUUSSSSSSSS!!!!" You nearly jumped out of your skin.

"What?! You okay, -----?!" Jo called from ahead.

"I'M FINE IT'S JUST THE STUPID SKELETON AGAIN!"

"my name is sans, thank you very much," he said curtly. You turned to him, hate in your eyes. But the hate didn't stay very long because he was just... so... cute! Oh no he was way too cute. He had a blue, hand-knit bobble hat with little white skulls on it, sun-reflective goggles (why did he need those? There's no sun down here), and matching blue knit gloves. 

"I-I know that!" You huffed indignantly, straightening yourself. "You know, Sans, with how many siblings I have, you'd think that I'd be used to people popping up out of seemingly nowhere, but I'm not. I'm not!" 

"heh, sorry, did i rattle your bones there?"

"Oh my god. Okay I'm ready to get off the ride now."

"it's still like, four minutes before we reach the top."

"Great. Four whole minutes with you, the skiing skeleton."

"snowboarding." He gestured to the snowboard attached to his one foot. How did he do that wearing slippers?!

"Snowboarding skeleton, excuse me." You rolled your eyes. "So what are you doing up here? Or do you just like to bother me?"

"well, yes, i have taken a liking to bothering the eldest of the group."

"...no, Jody is the eldest."

"group of kids."

"Ah. Wait, I'm not a kid!" You huffed. Three minutes now, by your watch. "And how'd you know I'm the eldest? I mean, I have a freaking identical twin."

"i'm just good at this stuff, kid." He shrugged. "'sides, guy's gotta have something to do on his breaks, right?" He winked. Yet another impossibility. You were beyond the point of questioning it at this point. "hey, look over there." He pointed off to the east. Not too far away, lights of a little town twinkled. "that's Snowdin." You let out a small 'oh'. It looked really cute for how far away it was. "me and paps grew up there. we still come to visit pretty often and to talk to the people renting out our old home."

Ah, so that was why he was still down there. Pretty much ninety percent of the monster population had evacuated after the barrier broke. "so," he interrupted your thoughts, "heard you did some magical stuff last night. made a Vegetoid pass out. magic's pretty rare to come by in humans, you know."

"Uuugggh, are you guys gonna guilt me all week for that? It was just sleight of hand! Not like... I don't know,  _teleportation,_ " you said with a hint of annoyance. Two minutes.

"sleight of hand?"

"You know, like, smoke and mirrors, pull the rabbit out of the hat. Magic tricks. Not real magic, not like you monsters can do. Though, I'd probably kill to have powers like yours. I'd be able to do twice the amount of nothing I  _already_ do!"

"heh, great minds think alike, kiddo. you'll have to show me one of these... 'magic tricks' sometime," he used finger quotes.

"Oh, I can show you one right now! Do you have a small object or something?" He pulled out a gold piece. "Great. Lemmie just-" You pulled your coat sleeves down below your wrist, "okay. Give me that... alright." You clenched one fist, placing the gold between two knuckles. "Now you see it..." You swiped your free hand over the gold, slipping it into your clenched fist in a fluid motion. "Now you don't!" You opened the hand, showing him that it was 'gone'. His mouth hung agape. 

One minute.

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?! THAT... HOLY... PAPYRUS WOULD LOVE THIS!" He was laughing out of disbelief. You clapped a hand onto his coat, nodding in pride. "where'd it go?!"

"Check the fold of your turtleneck." He reached two flanges in between the folds and pulled out the piece.

"...you're good. you're real good, kiddo."

The flat of the hill approached and you repeated how you got on, only in reverse, to get off. Sans followed suit. You stopped right before the edge peaked down. Already, Jo was halfway down, having the time of her goddamn life. You gulped, shaking.

"somethin' bothering you?"

"It-it's just... wh-what if I, you know, trip? And then I'll start rolling and the skis will break and I'll have to pay for those and then my arms will break and my legs and neck and I'll plow into a tree and that will cause an avalanche and everyone will die?" You felt anxiety gripping at your chest.

"that's a bit of a slippery slope, doncha think?"

Aaaand it's gone. You straightened yourself out, turning your head to give Sans a dead stare. "hey, no need to act so cold." You dug the poles into the ice and pushed yourself over the edge, lifting one hand up to flip him the bird as you slid down the hillside. Wind whipped at your eyes. Ah, crap, during his punning, you forgot to put on the goggles. Too late for that, because your journey was already over, and you slid down beside your sister. Upon looking to her, you saw that Sans was there. Already. 

"Okay what is the point of doing all that if you're not even going to go down the hill?" He shrugged. Jo was snickering.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds be," she sang, pushing herself off into the winter wonderland. 

"Wh- JOEY DON'T YOU DARE I WILL MURDER YOU BRUTALLY!" You tried to chase after her, but skis aren't great for running, and you fell flat on your face. Right. Can't do that. All you heard was the distant sound of her cackling and the crunching of snow next to your face. A soft, neon blue glow surrounded you and you were lifted up out of the ice and up to your feet. Sans stepped around you, brushing snow off your front and shoulders. You realized that he wasn't really that short- he came up to just under your nose. You could kiss his forehead like this.

The fact that you even thought of that made your face turn a bright red. "yikes, hope you don't got frostburn, kiddo," he brushed a gloved thumb against your face.

"No need to get so handsy," you pushed it off. Both his hand and the thought. 

"says the one who gave me the finger."

"You're lucky you're so cute," you muttered, immediately trying to shove the words back in your mouth.

"oh? didn't know you were so eager to jump my bones."

"Yeah, I get a real boner for things with no genitalia," you rolled along with your embarrassment. "These puns are snowballing out of control." Ah so it WAS possible for him to smile more than he already was. His eyes were bright with giddiness.

"i knew i liked you for a reason. speaking of snow, there's a snowman building contest happening in a lil bit. my bro and Frisk- you'll love them, cutest dang thing on earth- are gonna be participating and i was gonna watch. care to join me?"

"Frisk?" The name rung a bell in your head. "Isn't that the kid that broke the barrier?"

"the one and only." You let out a low whistle.

"Well, don't I feel honored! I'd actually really like that, Sans." You gave a smile warm enough to melt the snow still stuck to your face. "And I'm pretty sure Nate and Jeremy would want to do that. They're snowman building FIENDS!" You shrugged your arms into raptor-like shapes. "A real life Calvin and Hobbes!"

"a what?"

"...human thing. I'll show it to you someday. Anyway, where's this going to be?"

Sans gave you a location, time, and, albeit vague, directions to where it'd be taking place. You thanked him for everything and said a farewell, shoving off back to the hotel, where you were sure Jo wouldn't be because she was probably back on top of the hill. One time down was enough for you.

* * *

 

"Aron."

"-----."

"Can you tell me something?"

"I can tell you lots of things."

"Okay, then, tell me, what's it like to hate someone so much that you like them?"

"Oh, hm. That's a difficult thing to answer. I'm not sure I CAN answer that, honey. Why?"

"You're usually the one who's best at giving advice on these things."

"I see.. Oh, excuse me, could we get two pina coladas, but one virgin?" The bartender gave a short nod before hustling to make the drinks. "Well I appreciate that you'd come to me, honey, but I've really got nothing good to say."

"Eh, it's cool." You shrugged. "No, wait, n-" He was already sputtering a laugh. "Man I gotta stop hanging around that skeleton..."

"Is this skeleton the one you hate so much that you like them?"

"...I never said that."

"The look on your face says otherwise." Two drinks were set before you. You took a little sip, grimacing at the taste. It was just like a pina colada, but... different? A burning went down your throat. Must be the weird Underground ingredients. "Well, just do whatever makes you happy, honey."

"Mm, yeah, whatever." You shrugged, chugging down the rest of the sweet and fiery concoction. You gagged a little. "Huahghgh," you blubbered. 

"Woah there, didn't think you were THAT thirsty." He had barely touched his. "Could we-?"

"No, thank you," you interrupted him before he could finish that statement. "I'll just take, like, a bottle of gatorade or something to go. I have snowmen to watch being built."

"You're going to that? Nice. You taking the boys?" You nodded, sliding out of the barstool, gatorade in hand. You put a few gold coins on the counter for the bartender. "Alright, well, have fun storming the castle!"

"...Now I want to build a snow castle."

* * *

 

"Holy crap, what was IN that?!" You grabbed onto the nearest tree. Sans raised an eyebrow. He doesn't have eyebrows. Stop doing that.

"what was in what?"

"I dunno, I had a virgin pina colada, or whatever your guys' version is of that down here, and it tasted so weird. Like I had this-" you shook the half empty bottle of gatorade, "-to wash out the taste but now I just feel... not sick, but dizzy? And... kind of out of it."

"sheesh. well lemmie know if you feel any worse. i'll take you back to the resort. oh hey, here they come." He turned and waved. Not too far away was... another skeleton! Surprise, surprise. This one was much taller, boasting a bright red scarf, not unlike your own, and what looked like armor. Holding a his gloved hand was a child, no older than Haley, you thought, who was completely bundled up. You couldn't even see their eyes.

"SANS! I'M SURPRISED YOU'RE NOT LATE!"

"nah, i wouldn't miss this for the world."

"AND WHO IS YOUR FRIEND?" They approached, standing not four feet from you. Does this guy have a volume control?

"oh, this is -----, they're here with their family on vacation." You gave a little wave.

"Hello. You must be Papyrus. Sans mentioned you once or twice."

"I EXPECT NOTHING LESS OF HIM! SANS REALLY LOOKS UP TO ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

"Well, I mean, he kind of has to. You're like, seven feet tall, dude." Papyrus's expression twisted from pride and joy to that of annoyance.

"GREAT, DOES THIS ONE MAKE PUNS, TOO?"

"yep. so does all... how many are there of you?"

"Including me, twenty." You turned and pointed to your little brothers. "Two of 'em are makin' a mess out there." You saw Papyrus crane his neck to look. Nate and Jeremy were burying each other in the snow. Ah, to be young again.

"nineteen members of their family." You felt a little hand poking at your coat. 

"Oh, hi, lil buddy! You must be Frisk." They nodded. "Oh gosh you were right, Sans, they are cute..." You leaned forward to give them a hug, and ended up missing them by a mile. "Ahahah, wow, guess I'm still pretty dizzy." They turned, head facing Sans, pointing to you. Their hand changed shape from a point to an 'o', and then the ring and pinky finger closed in, their thumb pressed between the index finger and middle. "Wh...?"

"they're asking if you're okay. Frisk doesn't speak."

"Ohhhh you use sign language! Okaaayyyy," you laughed. "Yes." You placed a flat hand against your chest, rubbing it in a circle motion.  _Sorry._ You didn't know much sign language other than a few swears, thank you, and sorry. "I didn't mean to scare you, I'm just not feeling too hot right now." That got a groan from Papyrus. He stomped over and tugged at Frisk. _  
_

"COME ON, WE HAVE TO GET TO OUR SPOT AND IGNORE THESE FILTHY PUN-SLEWING MANIACS!!" The tiniest, most adorable giggle chimed from Frisk and you were just over the moon in awe. 

"Can... Can I adopt them?" You asked Sans when they were out of earshot.

"nah, i think their mom would be a little upset about that. so, what do you think? my brother's pretty cool, right?"

"You already used that pun," you snorted, leaning onto him. "But yeah, he seems awesome, I mean, the way he carries himself is really... great. Aside from his hatred of punnery, he truly is the great Papyrus."

"ah," you noticed a slight blue blush crossing his face. But maybe it was a trick of the light reflecting off his coat, you couldn't fuckin tell. "heh, thanks. i really admire him."

The competition started, and he went on to tell you a whole load of stories about him and his brother while you took swigs from your bottle. Damn, why was your mouth feeling all dry? And cottony? Why was the world swaying so much? Wait, what did Sans just say? He's laughing, you should probably laugh too. Okay, he's pointing to Frisk and Papyrus. They're building a snow dog. Cute. Huge. Gosh that thing would be as tall as Papyrus when they were done with it. 

"...right?" He nudged you with an elbow. "hey, buddy, you feelin alright?"

"'m fine," you lied. You burrowed your face into your scarf, hiding your reddening face. You shut your eyes, trying not to look at anything too fast. "Just... dizzy."

"sheesh, how drunk are you?"

"'m not drunk."

"kid, i spent half my life in a dive bar, i know when someone is drunk, okay? bartender must have accidentally given you the one with alcohol in it... you're a bit of a lightweight, aren't you?" Well, you had never touched alcohol before this point, and then effectively made yourself drunker by chasing it with sugar and electrolytes, so yeah, you were a lightweight. You nodded once, slowly. The motion made you feel more dizzy. "shit." You had tumbled down onto your knees.

"No, no, 's okay," you mumbled. "Oh hey, look, Nate and Jer are makin a... a... what is that," you distracted him. He wasn't phased by it. Though they were working pretty hard on what looked to be a snow dinosaur.

"gimmie your phone." You handed it over without a second thought. He couldn't get past the lock screen, but your sister was in the emergency contact list. He pressed down and waited. "hey, uh, Jocelyn? it's Sans..... yes, the skeleton.... because your sibling here accidentally got drunk.... i dunno, some kind of mixup at the bar?..... yeah, they seem okay. i want to take them back to the resort but a few of your siblings are here and... uh, okay, yeah, i'll text you the location. thanks, kiddo." He hung up and shoved your phone into his pocket. You gave a little whine of protest. "sorry, bucko, but you gotta get to bed. you probably won't get a hangover from this, but i don't trust you around kids. or phones, for that matter. hang tight, i just gotta let Papyrus know."

* * *

 

"aaaand in the bed you go," he dropped you onto the mattress. 

"Bluuuuh, can you not teleport me, like, ever again? That made me feel more sick than the alcohol..." It was true. The feeling was... okay, something like, being suddenly pulled backwards and forwards at the same time? Like taffy being pulled, but all around your insides. It made your brain hiss with a fire that felt just so  _wrong_ , like you weren't meant to do it.

"you get used to it."

"Are you suggestin' that yer gonna make me go through that  _again?!"_  Your face was half buried in a pillow. Sans had taken up the job of attempting to remove your outer gear. You tried to be cooperative.

"maybe. i dunno, if you keep sticking around me, i might." He grunted, tugging off the scarf. 

"Aren't you the one who's stickin' around me?"

"hah, got me again. you caught me red-handed," he lifted a scarf-covered hand. You wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. What a loser. He helped your coat off. Thankfully, earlier you had taken off the ski pants and replaced them with jeans. You pulled them off, too, already way too warm from the movement. Once they were gone, you breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ahhh... thanks, Sans. You're a real pal."

"n-no problem." He quickly turned away from you. "mind covering up?"

"...it's just underwear, dude."

"p-please, i feel like a creep already..."

"Alright, alright," you threw the covers haphazardly over your legs. "Better?"

"yeah. sorry." He shyly turned back. The same blue blush had returned, but it was intensified. 

"Aw," you said aloud. 

"what?"

"...shit, did I say that out loud? Guess alcohol really does lower your inhibitions..." You rubbed the back of your hand against a tired eye. "Eh, whatever. I think yer pretty cute, Sans. For a skeleton."

"oh."

"...That's all I get? An 'oh'?"

"i am a skeleton of few words."

"Pfft, whatever. I'm tired. And still dizzy. But not as much."

"that's good. listen, i'm gonna let you rest for a few hours. mind if i take you to dinner? i know a real good place."

"Asking me out on a date already? I wasn't prepared for this," you chuckled. His blush intensified.

"th-that's not it," oh no he's flustered it's so cute, "i just thought it'd be nice to show you around my hometown, you know? you can bring your sister or one of your parents or whatever, if that makes you feel more comfortable."

"Mmhm," you sighed, eyes shutting. You weren't really agreeing, just kind of nodding off.

"...ah, whatever. see ya later, kid."

"Oh, wait, Sans, hold up!"

"hm?"

"How'd you use my phone? There's no signal down 'ere."

"magic."

"...cool."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i need to watch jjba  
> dinner date next chapter! more bad decisions! more puns! god i need to fucking sleep


	4. That Girl is on Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After that regrettable experience, Sans takes you out on a dinner date to cure your very slight hangover. And, like a gentleman, he takes you back to the resort and you.............................

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoiler alert: u bone the skeleton  
> ....  
> much later in the series.  
> THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN SLIGHTLY MODIFIED

"Pssssst." Nudge, nudge. "Heeeyyyyy." Poke, nudge. "Lil drunkaaard. Wake uuupp." Poke poke PUNCH

"JESUS CHRIST WOMAN LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

"Hehehehe," Jo chortled.

"...How'd the boys do?"

"Oh, they came in like second place or something." She waved her hand dismissively. You grunted, displeased at her unenthusiastic approach to the art of snowman building. "But that's not important, you gots a dinner date!" Your eyes shot open and you sat up far too quickly. You hissed, pressing a hand to your forehead. "Still dizzy there, sib?"

"Agh, yeah... Shit, I almost forgot about that.... wait, date?" The grin on her face was almost malicious. 

"Yeeep! Hold on, you gotta hear this, after Sans left you here, he texted me." She dug into her pockets.

"How'd he get your number?"

"He still has your phone, stupid."

"Oh. OH! that... Mgrhfffrrnrnfrfrrrr," you grumbled. Asshole stole your phone. 

"Ah! Ok. Here it is:" She shoved the phone into your face, brightness on high, causing you to wince. You snatched it from her and read:

_hey, uh, is this jo?_

**_yeah_ **

_it's sans. i still have your siblings phone._

**_oh, the drunk one? lmao._ **

_did you know they have you in their phone as 'Queen Bitch'?_

**_yeah. it's kind of an inside joke. anyway, what's up? oh, btw, papyrus is amazing he's so cool and i'm not just saying that because it's snowing._ **

_yeah, he is. coolness runs bone deep in our family. oh, just wake them up in a few hours and tell them to meet me in the lobby. i'm gonna take them out to a place that's good at curing hangovers._

**_ooh ooh can i come?! :D :D :D gotta make sure you take good care of them. and maybe we should invite your brother, too? and lil frisk?_ **

_lol no, papyrus won't step foot into the place we're going, and he's spending the day with frisk anyhow. they have a very strict bedtime...._

_........._

............

..........................

You scrolled through the rest, which was about an hours worth of idle chit-chat and horrible phone puns. You groaned again, dropping the phone back into Jo's hands.

"Sommin' the matter, buddy boy?"

"Iiii'mmmm nooooot reaaaaddyyyyy," you whined. "I still feel like shit and I need to showerrrrr." 

"That's why I woke you up before he asked me to, so you could do exactly that, ya dingus." You curled your knees up, leaning your head onto them. "Besides, I, uh, want some private time... Barry's doing some weird overnight stuff, and..." She blushed a little.

"Oh, ew, you nasty." You playfully smacked her. 

"No no nono! It's just, I got, Papyrus's number? And-"

"EWWW YOU NASTIERRRR!" You hit her again, harder this time.

"NO HE ASKED ME TO CALL HIM AND WE'RE GONNA WATCH AN EPISODE OF THE ROBOT SHOW TOGETHER."

"Over the phone?"

"Yeah."

"...seems legit. Are they staying in the hotel or their old house?"

"Um. I dunno. I'll have to ask, maybe I can go hang out with them... YOU ARE CHANGING THE SUBJECT AAAA" She shook you back and forth, yelling. 

"Oogh, okay, you can stop that before I barf in our bed!"

* * *

 

One quick (long) shower and one change of clothes and you were already feeling mostly better. Still a tad dizzy, still a tad nauseous, but you could stand on your feet without stepping on your own feet. It's progress. You decided AGAINST the poofy red coat (god why did you even have that monstrosity) and went for an oversized black sweater, your favorite skeleton scarf (it glows in the dark!), a Hat (THE hat. you know the one.), and some tight jeans to shove into some boots whatever you just wanted to leave your gross skelefucker sister to her own deeds.

Sans was, in fact, waiting for you in the lobby. "you're late." You harrumphed, straightening out.

"A wizard is never late, nor are they early. They arrive precisely when they mean to." 

"oh, wait, i know this reference!" The white pinpricks in his eyes grew wide in recognition. "it's, uh..." A moment of silence passed. Sweat beaded on the side of his skull.

"It's from-"

"no!" He held a palm out. You noticed that there weren't individual bones, but a single dipped bone, almost like a palm. The phalanges were still, uh, there, though. "i got this." Another moment. Or two. Or ten. He snapped his fingers, pointing them at you like a gun. "lord of the things, right?"

"....yes," you had to hold back a really hard laugh. "C-can I get my phone? I need to text Jocelyn." He blinked and reached into his coat pocket, handing it over. 

_jo he just mis-remembered lotr as lord of the things i'm fucking dying over here_

"Ahem," you cleared your throat. "Shall we...?"

"yeah. i'm takin you to the hottest place in town."

"Hotter than me?" He snorted.

"i don't know if that's possible." His grin was absolutely shit-eating. He held out an elbow. "think you're good to, uh, do the thing?"

"I'll survive." You took it in your own, bracing yourself. A flash of blue wrapped around you, but you felt physically repulsed by it. The tugging sensation pulled you in every direction, but you pulled yourself back, taking back your arm from Sans and dropping into a snowbank. You coughed, heaving your guts out. "Shit," you spat. "God, Sans, I'm so sorry..."

A wind blew. "Sans?" You looked up and around. He was there, all right, just backing away from you, almost scared. "H-hey, I'm sorry, did I-?"

"no one's ever done that before," you heard him whisper.

"D-done what?"

"...forced away my magic. shit, kid, you must have a lot of determination," he laughed awkwardly.

"Ah, um, I- hold up," you dry-heaved a few more times. "Okay, I'm good." You shoved a handful of snow into your mouth to get the taste out. "Sorry. Uh. I don't like being... carted around, I guess. I don't even go to theme parks anymore. It's too much for me."

"...whatever you say." He let out a breath that he seemed to be holding. (waitdoskeletonsneedtobreathe) "well, we're not too far. think you can walk all the way? or are am i gonna make you fall for me all over again?" 

"You're the worst," you giggled, pushing yourself out of the snow. He still seemed... anxious, the way he was wiping sweat from his face onto the fur-lined hood. "So how far is this place?" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Ah." You had landed just outside a quaint little town. "Is this?"

"yep. snowdin."

"...I just realized the name is a pun."

"when papyrus realized that he threatened to move out," Sans snickered. You started forward, moving into the warm embrace of Christmas lights and a faint smell of cinnamon. It felt so homey. Sans pointed out to you the shop, the inn, and various residents, talking about the history and some memories as you slowly made your way further into the town. The way he laughed, his exaggerated motions he made with his hands, and somehow face, his laugh, a bright spark against the low gravel of his voice, it...

It made you feel funny. Like gosh, you thought he was cute, but he has a pretty great personality, to boot. What an odd fellow. What an odd fellow indeed.

"...and here's my favorite restaurant joint in the whole world," he pushed open a door. A blast of heat hit you so hard you almost fell backwards. 

"I am now getting what you mean by hottest place in town," you chuckled, pulling off The Hat and running fingers through your hair. You stepped in first, looking around at the patrons. It was a little dive bar, almost, filled mostly with monsters an- "DOG!"

"oh no"

"DOG DOG DOG DOG," you immediately sprinted over to the large table in the middle of the restaurant, where several dogs in armor (??? you didn't care DOGS) were gathered around. "HI PUPS!" The big white one turned to you and yipped. You bounced to it and started rubbing behind its ears. "Awww, who's a good lil puppy? It's you! It's you!"

"uh, -----?"

"Hm?" The Greater Dog was now tipping over in its stool, panting in joy. You noticed a smaller white dog and two holding battle axes looking at you with a hint of jealousy. "Awww, I'm sorry, do you all want some scratches too?"

"------."

"What, Sans, can't you see I'm busy?" You blinked, noticing that the entire restaurant had its eyes on you. You were making quite a fool of yourself. "Oh. Uh." You patted the dog one last time and slinked away. Sans took you over to a booth table. "Oh man I'm sorry I'm just not allowed to have pets so whenever I see a dog I go kinda nuts," you quickly explained, covering your face in embarrassment. 

"oh, no, that's not the problem, i was just gonna ask you how long you'd be. the canine unit LOVES attention like that."

"Canine unit?" You peeked through your fingers and saw that they had gone back to their usual business.

"ah, well, they're disbanded now, but they used to be part of the royal guard down here, you know, a protection unit for Snowdin. a lot of them still hold good memories from then so they still dress in uniform."

"They're adorable and I want to adopt them."

"you want to adopt everything cute, don't you?" You were about to answer when a humanoid green flame in a black and white waiter's uniform came over.

"Hiya, Sans!" It squeeked, little black eyes blinking in joy.

"hey, Florence. glad to see ya took over your pop's ol business. keeping the fire burning, huh?"

"Oh, ha ha," she said sarcastically. "Who's your friend?"

"Hi, I'm -----, and you are like, super cute." You loved complimenting people when you thought they looked good.

"O-oh! Thank you," a red flame blush (????????) crossed her face. "So, uh, the usual for you, Sans?"

"yep."

"What about for you, -----?" 

"Oh, uh, what are my choices?"

"Burger or fries. Or both."

"....limited menu. I like that. Fries, please." She gave a nod and made her way into the back. "Wow. This place. Underground. Monsters. Everything's so cute."

"are you going to adopt the Underground?"

"I am going to adopt the Underground." He let out a hearty laugh. "Man, just, how could a war have broken out between us? Monsters are... so much more kind and loving than any human I've ever met."

"it... had to do with magic. jealousy grew between humans and monsters because monsters could use magic, and humans couldn't. so, we were banished." He shrugged. "it's all water under the bridge now. there are only a few monster even still left alive from the war who'd remember it all."

A plate of fries and two bottles of ketchup were set down in front of you. Florence muttered something about Sans never sharing and briskly walked away. The aroma teased your nostrils and made your mouth water. Without even putting any ketchup down, you shoved a few into your mouth. 

"But wait," you said with a full mouth, "didn't you guys get sealed down here with magic?"

"yeah," he reached to the one full bottle, "but they had to gather up the only seven humans in the world that could use it. like i said before, 's pretty rare to come by in humans." Sans popped the lid of the ketchup open, tilting it to his mouth. "bottoms up." And he chugged the whole thing down.

"Woah. Impressive. That'll ketchup with you later, though," you winked badly.

"heh. that one was halfway decent. hey, tell me why the salad was mad at the fork?"

"Hm... because the fork saw the salad dressing?"

"damn, you knew that one!"

"There aren't many bad jokes I haven't heard in my family."

"oh, speaking of which, mind explaining that to me again? i'm... kind of confused. still. like, what are you and Jo? twins? what the heck is that?"

"When two people are born at the same time. Triplets are three people born at the same time, before you ask."

"how is that even possible? i mean, seeing double is one thing, but triple?"

"Oh har-de-har-har. Well, some people are genetically predispositioned to do it, and sometimes fertility treatments can increase the birthrate of twins or triplets."

"...fer...tilitiy...??"

"Human hormone stuff, makes it easier to get pregnant and have babies." You shrugged. "So, all both the twin sets- me and Jo, Carl and Ashley, and the triplets, we all share a birth mother. She herself is a twin AND she had fertility treatments. So it was kind of a double blow."

"but you said you-"

"Yeah, I didn't meet the triplets for a while because I was living with Jody and my sisters at the time."

"oh... we... don't have that here. human and monster reproduction is, ah, much different, i guess."

"Yeah? How're monsters born, then?"

"it involves a lot of magical stuff, like, combining souls and there's a kind of ritual you have to go through," he twirled his hand in a dismissive manner. "i wouldn't know, never had kids."

"So what about sex?" You immediately regretted saying that.

"wow. and on the first date. i should have figured by that scarf of yours. you want another skeleton inside you so bad," his voice dropped, lights in his eyes dimming, one in his right (left?) turning a cold blue, "you'd practically beg for it by showing off, wouldn't you?" You swallowed down on your half-chewed fries, nearly choking from the way your throat closed up so quickly.  _Holy shit what was that supposed to be???_

"u-uh," you sputtered, coughing and pounding a fist at your chest. "N-n-no, I just... really... like..." You wanted to say skeletons, because skeletons are cool and spooky and totally part of your aesthetic, but you couldn't say that, that would be the absolute worst thing to say at this moment. "....this scarf."

"nice save, loser," he sat back, arms reaching behind his back, the normal light returning to his eyes. You really wish you hadn't worn it now god what are you some kind of idiot jesus you were totally ruining your chances with this cute fucking guy bUT NOT LIKE IT MATTERS I MEAN YOU'RE ON VACATION ONCE YOU GO HOME YOU'LL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN RIGHT???

You lowered your head into your hands, sighing. Why you? Why now? Why here? 

"SO SANS," you quickly attempted to recover. "Your name! It's interesting!" You pulled out your phone and did a quick search for the Comic Sans and Papyrus font, then slid it across the booth to him. The look on his face was... well. Amusing doesn't even touch it.

"i... i think i'm in love," he snickered. "these are actual type sets used in the human world?" You nodded. "and they weren't named after us?" 

"Nope!" He handed the phone back to you. "Though, they're like, the worst fonts to use, according to graphic designers. I don't see a problem with them, really. I think they're cute."

"just like how you think i'm cute?" Cue eye brow bone (??????) wiggle. 

"...Ah... yes... I did say that, didn't I..."

The rest of the dinner passed in an embarrassed silence. He told you not to worry about paying, and that he'd put it on his tab, but you insisted on at least giving Florence a tip (and your phone number because hoo-wee she was one hot monster, no pun intended you wanted to smooch the heck outta her), and then you remembered to look at your texts.

_**omg that's adorable** _

_**how's your date going?** _

_**papyrus likes spaghetti i think im in love** _

_**hello? is anybody there? helloooooo?** _

You shot a quick text back.  _sorry. bad date. i'll tell u later. smooches._ _  
_

**_ew don't smooch me i'm your sister._ **

_SO MANY SMOOCHES_

"hey, don't mean to interrupt your, uh, conversation, but how am i getting you back? it's like a four hour walk from here, and..."

"Ah, shit. I really don't wanna teleport again. I'm afraid my body's gonna... rip up, you know? And I don't want to accidentally stop it before we get to our destination. We could end up miles away." You inwardly slapped yourself. "...you got snowmobiles down here?"

"'fraid not."

"Damn," you swore, pacing back and forth. The wind nipped at your face and you reminded yourself to put The Hat back on. "I'm just wondering why it is that that even HAPPENED, like, has anyone had that bad a reaction to it?"

"also no. guess i just got that magic touch on ya."

"You stop that," you pointed at him, still pacing. "Okay. Can't walk. Can't teleport. Ugh. Could we FLY?!"

"a little birdie once told me they could, but it'd take... a very long time."

"I was being sarcastic." You sighed, rubbing your fingers into your temples. "Mmmh, I wish it was as easy as smoke and mirrors."

"what?"

"In- in one of my acts, there are two doors on opposite sides of the stage, right?" You made a mark in the snow with the toe of your boot, "like here, and," hopped over a few feet, and made another. "Here. So that door would be open, but the door is positioned so the audience can't see behind it. I'd walk over to THIS door, open it up, and the door would swing so that it would hid a trap door behind it, I'd fall through, and come through the other in another, fluid step. But see, it wouldn't be me, Jo helps out with this one, since we're identical twins, we just dress up exactly the same and no one knows the difference." You shrug. "But it'd be pretty cool if I could just do that on my own."

"that's a pretty genius trick to play. where'd you get the idea?"

"A movie. It's called The Prestige, it's like... my favorite movie. I'll have you watch it sometime, it's what got me into magic in the first place." He made a little noise, nodding his head. "But anyway... hhh owww," you hissed, grabbing your head. A sudden sharp pain stabbed through it. All you could see was purple.

"oh, hey, don't get ahead of yourself."

"It's not funny, Sans, this really freakin' hurts," you winced. Seriously, everything was turning shades of purple, blending into itself. "Agh!" You started toppling over, but Sans caught you before you could fall flat on your back.

"woah, what? is this one of your magic tricks?"

"What are you talking about?!" You glared at him.

"your eyes... are purple. they weren't purple before." You didn't think it was possible, but Sans wasn't smiling. With a grimace, he muttered, "alright whether or not you like it i'm teleporting us back. i'd have you stay at my old place, but since i don't live there anymore..." Even the sound of his voice was adding to the pain, grating against your ears.

"Sans please shut up your voice is KILLING ME!" His arms gripped tight around you. Blue blended with purple, and you were once again whisked into horrible wonderland. You were thankful it was over so quickly. 

_"jesus christ this mother fucking hurts!"_ You heard Jo shouting. He must have taken you straight to the room. You scrambled out of his hands, fumbling around for the room key, and burst in.

"Jo? Jo oh my god, you-" She lifted her head from her hands, tears streaming down her face. Purple. Her eyes were purple. You pretty much jumped across the room, barreling into her, squeezing her in your arms. The pain was unbearable, but god damn it your sister was  _crying_ and you would not stand for that. You ran a hand down her hair. "Shh, shh, Jo, it's okay, it's okay."

"It's happening to you, too," she whimpered, gripping at your jacket. 

"I know, but, it- it's okay. It's alright." You continued petting her. "We're going to be alright, Joey, it's okay, it's all good, we're fine. We're gonna be fine." Your voice wavered.

"uh."

"Sans now is NOT a good time."

"i know. i put my number in your phone. text me when you can." You didn't even bother saying goodbye before you heard the door shut. All that mattered was this. Right now. 

"It's okay it's okay it's okay." Jo sobbed into you. 

It's okay. Everything was going to be okay.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for ending this on a sad note but things get way better from here on out!


	5. It's Natural To Be Afraid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Purple. Mauve. Violet. Boysenberry. Lilac. Plum. Lavender. Magenta. Grape. Periwinkle. Sangria. Eggplant. Jam. Iris. Heather. Amethyst. Raisin. Orchid. Mulberry. Wine.  
> There's a million shades of purple, and it's all your seeing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
> I'M ON A MOTHER FUCKIN ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL  
> also someone tell me how to do links in the notes i don't know how to use this website
> 
> this chapter is a lot of dialogue and like almost no action i'm sorry

_Knock, knock._

...

_Knock, knock._

...?

_KNOCK, KNOCK!_

"Mmmh."

_"Oh good, they're alive."_

...Papyrus?

"'s goin on?"

"Dunno... you okay?"

"I feel drained."

"Same."

_"Humans! Please respond if you can! I, the great Papyrus, worry very deeply for my new friends!"_

"God, he's so sweet," you giggled. 

"Right?"

"Alright, you can come on in." You raised a limp hand, waving it a little. The door eased open and the light of the hallway streamed in. You weren't sure when you fell asleep, but it had to be at some point during your consoling. Jo was still in your grip, albeit halfway twisted out of it, but you pulled her back into you. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Same."

"ew, sibling love fest, gross."

"SANS, HOW COULD YOU MAKE FUN OF THEM WHEN WE LOVE EACH OTHER JUST AS MUCH?"

"Aguh!" Both you and Jo winced at the sound of his voice. "Papyrus, could you lower the volume a bit? I know you wanna shout your love for Sans to the world but this is ridiculous."

"Ah, yes, sorry, humans."

"hey," Sans rubbed a fist against your back. "what happened?"

"I don't know." You tugged away from her, rolling over to face Sans. 

"woah, shit. paps, this is what i was talking about. the purple eye thing."

"What? I still have that?!" You turned your head around to Jo, who had opened hers to stare at you. "Yep, purple."

"Dude, that's so wicked." She grinned a bit. Her face fell again. "But probably really bad, too. I wonder if this will mess with our prescription? Wait did you fall asleep with your contacts in?"

"Yeah and it hurts like fucking hell."

"Me, too." You both dissolved into giggles.

"Yeah. Laugh off the pain. Just our style, right?"

The skeleton brothers were just standing there with a very confused yet concerned look.

"Oh yeah. You're here. Um. So. Any ideas, guys?"

"Well."

"you see."

"Should we have called Alphys for this?"

"no we are perfectly capable of explaining this to them."

"Alright. Humans, prepare yourselves."

You sat up, letting out a moan from the soreness in your body. You pulled Jo up alongside you. You both rested against the headboard, the skeleton brothers sitting themselves on the foot. 

"we think... you two..."

"...Are magic."

"Oh, oh, ohh, they're maaagic, you knoooow," Jo burst out. You slapped her shoulder, laughing.

"Be serious, for, like, ONE second, will you?"

"You're laughing, though."

"I am, and I hate it."

"hey, thing one, thing two? zip it." Sans's deadly serious tone got you to stop fooling around, sit up, and pay attention in less time than the blink of an eye. His eye sockets... were completely void of any light. Papyrus touched a gentle hand to his shoulder, giving him a patient smile, then touched a free hand to his chest.

"Should I?" Nod. He looked to you. His hand pulled away from his chest, pulling along wisps of orange smoke. They curled around and formed a... heart. Not an anatomically correct one, of course, more like the ones you doodled in the margins of your notebook in middle school. The heart shone with a soft, gold glow.

"Cooooooool," you both whispered in awe.

"This, humans, is a soul. It is the very fiber of your being. Everyone- humans, monsters -has one, and each one is its own color."

"i'm just going out on a limb here-" groans all around "-but yours are probably purple. it's super rare for two souls to be the exact same shade. but, since your twins..." Papyrus took hold of his soul and it disappeared with a popping noise. 

"K that's cool but why are you telling us this?"

"we do have a point. it's the same lecture we got when our magic powers were first starting to form."

"Wait, what?" A befuddled look crossed both your faces.

"Golly, you two really are the same! Sans, are they clones?"

"Technically..." You wiggled your hand a bit. "She IS younger than me."

"By like two hours!"

"CLONES!"

"Shh!"

"Sorry. I get rather excited by little things." Jo snickered at that. God, what a flirt. 

"ANYWAY," Sans interrupted, "what i'm trying to say is you two are showing the telltale signs of what a monster goes through when their magic powers develop."

"Something tells me this is going to be like puberty all over again," Jo leaned back, scoffing. 

"Actually, human! From my readings on the internet, where I, the great Papyrus, am very popular, there are many similarities! You could call it a 'monster puberty' of sorts. Only without all of the physical growing."

_Weird sexual urges, I bet, though. Nothing else would explain wanting to smooch a skeleton._

_Right?!_

You furrowed your brows. That was not your voice in your head. It sounded oddly like-

"Wait, you didn't say that out loud, did you?"

"Nope."

"Holy shit." Jocelyn laughed uncomfortably. "I've heard about twin telepathy but this is just impossible."

"don't tell me you just heard each others thoughts in your heads."

"Yup," together.

"Is there an echo in here?" Papyrus smiled at his own joke.

_Oh my god what a precious little cinnamon_ _roll._

_Agreed._

_You know this is pretty useful. I wonder if we can use it in class to cheat off of each other?_

_We're taking two different majors!_ You gave her an exasperated look. Sans put a hand to his face. 

"my god they're doing it right now."

"This is very cool, brother. Humans who can use magic!"

"it isn't actually that cool. if other people find out, a lot of bad stuff could happen. we could have another war."

"Do you really think that would happen? I think many humans would be happy to know that they could still use magic."

"ever the optimist, you are."

_...and it's not like you're going to use your degree anyway._

_I'll have you know that a business degree can get you anywhere!_

"Pff," she snorted.

"hey, are you two listening?"

"Yes," you replied, jumping up in surprise. 

"it's not going to be all fun and games, you know. that pain you felt? it's gonna happen. a lot. and unless you learn to control your powers, it's going to continue to happen. think about it. i locked that door when i left last night. you unlocked it with your powers. useful, right? but imagine, flicking your wrist the wrong way and suddenly your little brother or sisters neck is broken. you get upset and buildings start tearing from the ground. do you want that to happen?" You shook your head. "good. control is the key to unlocking your full potential, and to keeping your magic hidden and under control."

"I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU WOULD HAVE ENDED THAT IN A PUN!"

"...what can i say? it's just my style."

"Papyrus is right. Your puns are so bad I might become an... al-key-holic?" Jo and Papyrus shot daggers at you while you giggled. "Hehehee, sorry, sorry."

"don't get drunk on your own power there, buddy."

"STOP." Jo and Papyrus were now the ones in sync.

"Aaaah, nooo," you faked a dramatic fall, "I'm drowning in the puns! This is truly the worst punishment!"

"I AM LEAVING. WOULD YOU CARE TO JOIN ME?" Directed at Jo.

"Yes, please! But, you might have to carry me, I'm still a little weak from that whole debacle last night."

_You are so thirsty._

_Gives you some time alone with Sans._

_Yeah, sans you._

"Okay let's leave they're doing it telepathically now."

...And, they were out quicker than you thought a skeleton could ever move. You snorted, clapping your hands together, which, to your surprise, shut the door behind them.

"Woah."

"maybe try not doing that?'

"How am I supposed to help it?"

"...constant vigilance."

"Sounds like something my dad would say," you grunted. "So how long's the purple eye thing gonna last?"

"depends. could last a day, could last a week, a month, and sometimes it lasts for the rest of your life."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"yeah, but how would you explain it?"

"We have a really cool thing in the human world called color contacts, y'know. Speaking of which," you reached some fingers up to remove yours. He made an audible gagging noise. "Sorry, they're stinging the shit out of my eyes right now." You blinked a few times, having just flicked them into the garbage. "Ah, much better. So what now?"

"that's a good question. you probably have a lot that you'd like to ask me."

"Well, yeah. I could list off probably ten right now."

"shoot." You formed your fingers into little guns and pointed them at him.

"Bang." He gripped a hand over his chest where his heart would be, crying out in fake agony and toppling over. "Haha, you're great."

"i know."

"Wow, thanks for affirming that, Han Solo."

"who?"

"...never mind." Boy, do you have a lot to show them. "Alright, first things first, can I do that soul thing, too?"

"yep. actually, almost anyone can, magical or not. they just don't know it. frisk can do it."

"Okay... how."

"usually, you have to be in a battle of some sort. but if you will it, you can do it. just... imagine it out of you."

"Imagine it out of me?" You blinked a few times, remembering the shape of Papyrus's soul. "Um... okay. Maybe show me?"

"...i'd rather not."

"Don't have the heart to bear it?"

"wow. wow, that." He seemed awestruck.

"Come on, I bet it's  _sans_ ational."

"pfff hahahahaha. wow. you have my full admiration now. congratulations." He wiped a finger at his eye- was he  _crying?_  

"Don't you mean congratula _sans_?"

"that was a bit of a reach."

"No, THIS is a bit of a reach." You leaned forward, stretching your arms out. You saw a little purple flame flicker between your fingers. "Ooh, what's that?" You continued streching until you were close enough to Sans's face you could touch it. And like a little leap of electricity, that purple flame jumped out and poked his head.

"agh!" He fell back onto the floor. You snickered.

"That was pretty cool."

"yeah, hah," he was sUDDENLY BESIDES YOU

"Can you not do that?"

"no."

"...okay. So. Soul thing. Right."

* * *

 

It... took you a couple of hours, but you could do it. It wasn't solid, but you kind of liked the smoky wisps of soul magic swirling around. It sparkled, too, like stars in the twilit sky.

"...It's beautiful, Sans."

"isn't it?" Your concentration broke and it came shooting back into you. 

"Oof."

"yeah, that'll happen, too. you feelin okay?"

"...Yeah, but I'm kinda hungry. Could go for some soul food right about now."

"you're out-punning me. this is getting dangerous."

"Huehuehue," you chuckled. "But no, I'm serious, I'm hungry, and I'm pretty sure my family wants to meet up for lunch today. It's not past lunchtime, is it?"

"nah, papyrus dragged me out of bed real early today to see if you guys were okay."

"Oh, I'm touched," you sighed, giving him a little shove. "You want to join us? You're more than welcome - wait, don't you have a job to do?"

"....eh, i'm my own boss, so i'm giving myself the day off. to be frank, i've been needing one."

"Was that a hot dog pun?" The shit eating grin on his face said yes. "Well, butter my butt and call me biscuit, I wasn't expecting that one."

"hey, only if you're into it."

"Oh, my god," you sank into the bed. "Sans. You're the wurst."

"nice retort."

A moment of silence.

"So. Food?"

"food sounds good." Sans rolled out of the bed, stepping over to your side. You sat on the edge, a strange feeling winding up in your gut. "hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just..." You stared at the floor, fingers gripping at the sheets. "Are my powers... really that dangerous?"

"they don't have to be. just... tread lightly, okay? it's natural to be afraid, at first." You nodded, feeling tears welling up in your eyes. "hey, hey, hey, no need for that..." You felt his arms wrap around you, and you re-situated your leg so it wasn't kneeing into his crotch (which probably didn't have anything in there anyway, but just in case). You wanted to have a good cry, but it was hard for you to do that with your face shoved into what could be the world's most comfortable turtleneck. He smelled... like febreeze, tomato sauce, grease, and charred bones. Odd combination, but fitting for an odd fellow. He rubbed your back soothingly as you hiccuped little sobs into him.

"I-I don't want t-to hurt them," you mumbled. 

"you won't. i'll be there to st- to help you, if anything happens."

"...but why? You... you don't have to do that, all of this."

"kid, a long time ago, i made a promise to a friend that if a human ever came into the underground, i'd make sure no harm came to them. and that promise worked out really well. so i'm gonna keep my promise and extend it to you, your sister, your family, all of humanity if i have to."

"...Sans..."

"yeah?"

You pulled your face out from under his chin and looked to him in the eyes. "Thank you." You put two hands to either side of his face, leaned up a little, and placed two firm lips to his forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CUTE BIG FAMILY DINNER COMING UP WOO HOO


	6. This Was a Big Mi-steak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BIG FUN FAMILY DINNER TIME. INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO: SCREAMING CHILDREN, MIND-READING SISTERS, IDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> technically it's lunch time. but whatever.  
> I'm making this project my main priority. :||: and Always Gold will be on hiatus until I decide to update them. Less angst, more fluff. >:O  
> btw i want to thank all of you for reading, leaving kudos, and commenting! to be honest i've always been so afraid of publishing fanfiction but now that I see all of you... supporting me... well, most of that fear has been eradicated.  
> I'M ON A ROLL WITH THIIIIS I SHOULD SLEEP

You were still wearing yesterday's clothes, like a very uncomfortable idiot. You shoved Sans out of the room, despite his protest of "it doesn't matter we're two different species and i've already seen you without your pants on!" and your retort of "yes but I wish to keep some things a secret, thankyouverymuch." Now. What would be appropriate enough that wouldn't irk your family but also impress the very kind, short, stout, I'm a little teapot skeleton whom you had recently kissed on the forehead, leaving him blue and stuttering?

Heh. That was cute. Anyway. You now hummed to yourself. "I'm a little tea-pot, short and stout..." Graphic tee, one from your favorite webcomic? Sure. Stand back, I'm going to try ~~science~~  funny clothes! Man, how big of a nerd are you? LET'S SEE. Well, you guessed that the jeans were still okay, but you had the mind to slip them off for a change of underwear and socks. Nice and fresh. Okay. Shirt. Right. White long sleeve underneath. Gotta have the layers. Jeans. All set! No, wait. Accessories? Hm. You slid into the bathroom, analyzing yourself in the mirror. Hmm.

The purple eye thing was super freakin cool, you had to admit. But a strange pounding beat quietly in the back of your head. You could only hope it would remain quiet until  _after_ eating. Oh, man, it matched so well with your clothes. Purple and black. Black and yellow black and yello-

_You know I can hear you, right?_

_Jeez, can't I get like, two minutes of privacy?_

_Nope._

You imagined a big ol' middle finger.

_Nice. Should I invite Papyrus? I'm sure Frisk would come, too._

_YES PLEASE I WISH TO SEE THE TINY BEAN HEAD CHILD AGAIN_

_great minds think alike._

_...great minds can't help it._ Cue simultaneous internal laughter.  _Seriously though, I've left you alone._

_True enough. See you at_ _lunch._

The noise of Jo leaving your mind was similar to a sign-out noise on instant messaging. Sweet, your mind is a computer now. A shared computer. Okay, maybe not that cool. ANYWAY. You focused back in the mirror. Style hair, sweeping it up and over to one side. Also, glasses. Since your contacts are now basically nothing. Jo left hers here... so you nabbed them and, after putting them in the case, you shoved them in your pockets. Thank god for jeans with pockets. Then you grabbed your own, which were rectangular, while hers were round- good way to tell them apart- and set them on your nose. Okay. You were decent. Phone? Bedside table. No need for it right now. So you left it to charge. 

Shoes? Shoes. Purple hi-tops. Perfect. You double checked for the room key, and then, in a grand fashion that could only be upstaged by Mettaton himself, you tripped over your own two feet out the door. Cue snicker, stage left. You shot back up.

"Let's pretend that didn't happen," you smiled, kicking the door closed.

"let's pretend what didn't happen?" Sans shrugged, winking.

"Exactly. Let us dine!"

* * *

 

Was it bad that you were worried about how he hadn't brought up that kiss at all? He was completely flustered at the time and now he was  _actively avoiding_ the subject by returning it to magic. Okay, yeah, you get it, it takes a lot of determination and strength to control it, the pains will probably last a few months, you will have no idea the extent of your powers for many years and even then you could discover more, blah, blah, blah, just KISS ME ALREADY.

"kksh. earth to -----, come in -----."

"What?!" You snapped.

"you're spacing out there, kiddo."

"...youuuu." You narrowed your eyes at him. Why are you the way you are? "So. Down the elevator we go." You stepped in, pressing the B1 button. Three floors to go. It's that elevator music again. You'd have to ask if anyone knew it. Sans checked his phone. You coughed awkwardly. Two floors. "So Sans, why are you here, anyway? If you don't live here. You say you have a job here, but..."

"honestly? i just like it here. surface is great and all, but i'm down here more often than i am up there." Ding. Elevator opened. A little monster, the one from the first day, stepped on. 

"I see." Ding. Doors closed. One floor. You wrung your hands around awkwardly, starting to feel a little nauseous. You could only hope it was the movement of the elevator. You felt Sans press a hand to the small of your back. The nausea faded but was replaced by a different, twisting emotion. And sweating. Lots of sweating.

Ding. You shot out of there like fucking Sonic the Hedgehog, stopping under an air vent to take a breath. Too much. Too much! How could you kiss him and then be flustered by  _that?!_

"eye for an eye, bub," Sans quipped, passing in front of you. 

_Hey Jo, tell Papyrus to start writing his brother's eulogy._

_Do I want to know?_

_He is TEASING ME._

_Woah, save the eating out for dessert._

_I am going to commit double murder today._

"woah, speaking of eyes, yours are glowing. you sendin messages to your sister up there?" He rapped a gentle knuckle atop your head. "might wanna not do that around your fam, they'll ask questions."

"I'll tell them I've replaced my brain with a robots. They'd probably believe it, too." You shook your head clear of her invading thoughts. "Seems like she, Frisk, and your brother are already there, anyway."

"no one told me they were coming..."

"Oh, yeah, sorry, but can you be mad?"

"not in the least." He flashed a wide smile at you. "c'mon, my tummy's a-rumblin."

"Didn't think you had the guts to do this."

"pffff."

* * *

 

Oh my god, this is a disaster. Whose idea was this?! You kept sinking further and further down into your seat, eyes continually slipping under the lenses of your glasses in embarrassment. 

"I WANT MAC AND CHEESE!" Jeremy bellowed from one end of the table. Jody was arguing on the phone with Dave. The triplets were flicking spoonfuls of peas in your face. Frisk was the ONLY ONE BEHAVING, despite encouraging the group with little bell-like giggles. You weren't just going to commit mass murder, but suicide as well. You loved your family, but god, did they have to be like this _in front of monsters???_ The other monsters at the table (Papyrus, a mermaid horse thing that you assumed was Aaron, and a slime monster listening intently to Paul's war stories) didn't seem to mind, but yeesh. Sans, who was nice enough to sit next to you, elbowed you.

"you okay, kiddo? .... i seem to be asking that a lot."

"Sans if they don't stop I am going to lose it!" You slammed your fists on the table, feeling a heat flare up behind your eyes. Shit, that hurt. You hissed, covering them again. 

"hey, hey, calm down. you'd be very... blue... if you lost your temper." He was DOING IT AGAIN. You know. The deep, intimidating voice that shook you down to the bones and gave a stirring to your loins. 

"The only blue I'm feelin' right now is blue balls," you murmured spitefully.

"oh? heh." You twitched, goosebumps raising at the touch of his fingertip at the nape of your neck. "maybe we can fix that."

"NOT AT THE TABLE!" Your voice cracked.

_I SAW THAT I TOTALLY SAW_   _THAT_

"YOU SHUT YOUR TRAP, JOCELYN!" You pointed an accusatory finger at her across the table, which sent a glowing purple fork whizzing past her head. She barely ducked out of the way. Sans leapt out of his seat and slammed your arm back down to the table. That would leave bruises, you thought, before realizing everyone was staring at you.

"NEW MAGIC TRICK," Haley screamed out, breaking the silence.

"Y-yeah," you felt the fire die down inside. "Magic trick." God damn it.

_ Sorry. I won't say anything anymore. _

_That's all I ask for._

Lunch finally made its way to the table. You picked at your tempeh (which you were super surprised that they even HAD down here) idly, pushing it around the plate and not really eating it. "I really screwed up, didn't I, Sans?" You said in a voice that only ants could hear.

"doesn't look like it. but just... be careful, seriously." He took a swig of his relish. Seemed he didn't stick to just one brand of condiment. A clamor occurred over by where Papyrus was. He was bench pressing the kids. You snickered, then full-out guffawed when you saw the way Jo was looking at him. 

"Hey, hey, look, she's doing the moe anime eyes at him. They're sparkling and everything!"

"oh no. poor girl... she's gonna end up heartbroken..."

"Huh? Why? I mean, I'm pretty sure it's just a little crush."

"yeah, papyrus has that effect on people. they fall in love with him easily, and then, well, the truth crushes their heart. he's a great heartbreak coach, though."

"Truth? Why, what's up?" You leaned into him. "Is there something about Papyrus that I should know?"

"i mean, if you wanna warn jo before it's too late..."

"Uh-doy?"

"he's got a boyfriend."

_The skeleton is gay._

_ what?! _

"Continue. I'm live-streaming this to her."

"just cover your face, please," he pleaded. You hid your face behind a hand, like you were protecting it from the light. Smooth. "yeah, you know about Mettaton?"

"Yeah."

"well."

"No."

_ No. _

"yeah."

"With Papyrus?!"

_That is a strange dynamic._

"it's a long story," he seemed to roll the lights in his eyes. "but they're very happy together, and actually kind of secret about it, so, maybe, keep it on the down-low? papyrus's ego would inflate to horrific amounts if the public found out."

"My lips are sealed." Jo mumbled something and you shot a death glare at her. "Okay, I heard that, ya nasty." She shrugged, pouting.

"do i want to know?"

"God, no. I'm turning of twinnet now," you mentally blocked her out with the wave of a hand. Little purple sparks came from out, making a streak. "Oh wow that's cool."

"see? just a little bit of concentration is all it takes."

The rest of lunch was okay.

Most of the table excused themselves after eating, a few remaining for dessert.

_ Yo, me, Pap, and the child are gonna go sledding, wanna come? _

_That is a whole lotta nope right there._

_Alright. I'll take pictures for ya._ Jo gave you a wave, Frisk placed atop her shoulders, before ducking out with the taller skeleton to adventures unknown. You noticed Papyrus carrying her coat under his arms... 

"so, alone together, eh?"

"Yeah," you choked out. "Great."

_ Not what you expected? _

_Nope._

_Good luck. Wish me some, too._

_You're seriously not gonna-?_

_Hey, I'm lonely. Closing chat_ _now_.

Uuuuughhhhhhh. You just wanted to disappear. You shut your eyes, focusing hard. God. You wanted this and you didn't. This vacation is all kinds of a mess. You just wanted to be back in the room and watch bad movies until it was all over. Sans placed a hand on your shoulder.

"-----, you're glow-"

* * *

 

"-ing. wh- what the ever living shit?!" You felt something much softer beneath you and your eyes popped open. 

"Ho ho holy shit," you laughed. It wasn't funny. "Did I just-?"

"you can TELEPORT." He turned, tackling you below him on the bed. "holy shit you can teleport!!! WHAT ARE YOU!"

"Uhhhhhh."

Barry.

Sitting on the little pull-out couch. Still dressed from dinner. 

"UHHHHH." The chorus of 'uhs' harmonized.

"I-I can explain," you stuttered.

"Nope, I don't care, and I don't wanna know, I'm gonna to hang out with my dads," he raised his hands up in defeat. "Always knew you were weird, -----, but this is too much and I'd like to just forget about it."

"Yeah, love you too, bro." You scoffed. You couldn't see from underneath Sans, but the door definitely opened and shut. Wait.

Underneath Sans.

Un...der....

...wh....

oh.

Your eyes grew wide. His light-pupils were gone and his jaw was slung open. You scrambled out from under him, apologizing profusely. Oh man oh no. Anxiety was knocking at your door! Anxiety was breaking down your door! Purple! Purple! Sirens! Purple sirens! 

"woah, woah, woah, calm down, ----!" Your head snapped up. Your fingers were clawing at your face. That'd leave a mark. Your face felt hot. Everything was doused in purple. Your eyes were on fire. Your fingers were sparking with electricity. Objects....

were floating.

Can you say, prophesying dreams, much??? You shut your eyes and heard the clatter of everything dropping. Along with a flump. That must have been Sans falling back to the bed. A muffled "seriously??" came from the sheets.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know my brother would be here! I didn't know I could do this I wasn't expecting you to do that I- I- I'm just one big mess, g-god-"

"holy shit shut up you're  _fine_ , -----. and yes, take that in every which way." He sat up, shaking his head. "jeez, i'm starting to think you'd make really good friends with alphys...." You weren't really listening. You were just trying to focus on NOT doing that again. No teleporting. No throwing sharp objects at your best friend and  _fucking sister_. No glowey eye! No floating identified objects! You fucked up you fucked up good jesus why are you the way you are why are you like this you act so cocky and confident and then break down at the  _slightest_ of things. Your head pounded. 

_death death death death death death!_

"...-----. come here. i want to show you something."

"I'll probably break it," you murmured, refusing to look at him. 

"heh, i doubt that. it's pretty strong."

"What is it."

"turn around. you'll see."


	7. The Heart of the Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say that purple is a symbol of good luck. 'They' sure do say a lot, don't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the chapter summary is utter nonsense ignore it.  
> this one goes out to my robofucker squad from that game of CaH. you guys really pulled me out of my near suicidal state last night and put me back in place <3

No. You'd just make a mess of everything. You don't even know why you had these god awful powers. You didn't want them. It'd just cause chaos and destruction. It'd just hurt everyone you love.

"....------? i promise you, whatever you're thinking right now, it... we can work it out. just please, look at me."

If only you had an eye in the back of your head.

"okay, not like that, ya creepy fuck."

"There's a giant purple eyeball floating at the back of my head, isn't there?"

"yep."

"...that's kinda cool, actually." You sniffed, shrugging out a little laugh. "Too bad I can't see anything from it."

"maybe you can, one day."

"...Alright. I'll look. On one condition."

"i doubt anything you say right now could surprise me." You opened your mouth, then paused. Then shook your head. Then turned yourself around. Sans was holding his hands to his chest. A faint blue-gold-blue-gold light streamed between his fingers. You tilted your head a bit. "i... don't do this. i just don't." His fingers started to spread, palms moving outward towards you. You climbed back onto the bed, scooting closer to him. He took up quite a bit of space, but maybe that was to be expected of someone who's so big-boned. Heh. "it's not something i show anyone. i don't fight. papyrus wears his heart on his sleeve." His palms dropped, revealing a soul. Ice-blue, with a gold rim to it. Swirling in the magic of it, you could see... snowflakes.

"Oh wow, Sans..." You gasped. You reached out hesitantly, wanting so bad to touch it... the calming blue was so alluring. "C...can I?" His eye sockets grew wide, the white pupils shrinking. A rather dark blue blush seeped over his cheekbones.

"u-uhh, i-it might n-not..." you could hear him gulp.

"...you know, my condition was to have you watch all of the Lord of the Rings movies because, really? But now I want this to be my condition." He shuddered, giving a very quiet nod. Your fingertips inched closer. You could feel the magic radiating, pulsing like a faint beat. You could tell how nervous he was. Several cartoonish beads of sweat were pouring down his skull, the blush remaining. "I-I can stop?"

"no! it's okay, i'm fine," he managed to choke out. "it's just not a really common thing and i don't bear my soul to just anyone and-"

"I just realized you've made two puns in this time." You shook your head, sighing. That pounding in your brain was growing louder.

"it's a coping mechanism." You rubbed your eyes with your free hand, hoping the pain would stop. "...but you don't have to..." Ah, you hated it when people said that to you. It usually made you go and do the thing. So, like the go-getter you are, you thrust your hand out to it, only to be hit with a shockwave that tasted like grapes. You shut your eyes, hard, feeling the pounding drumming like a heavy metal band. 

"Agh, shit, that really hurts!" You hissed, peeking one eye open to look at your hand. It was steaming... purple. "God damn magic, you and I gotta have a talk." 

"snrk." You glared at Sans. His soul was still floating there, a few inches away from his chest. He was still blushing, but... laughing at you, too.

"What, you think this is funny? My head hurts like hell, here."

"you must be having a hell of a time, then."

"God damn it Sans could you please just..." You took a sharp breath in, wincing at the pain.

"man, bad timing, too. if you had done it earlier, you would have been able to pop right in and feel me up."

"...be serious for a second? Agh," you tossed off your glasses and pressed the heels of your palm into your eyes. The pressure relieved some pain, but not enough. It was like a really horrific sinus headache.

"i like teasing you, though," you could hear the rumple of his jacket as he shrugged. "i'm sorry you're going through it, but laughter is the best medicine, right?" You didn't respond, only rocking back and forth. The stimulation helped. Anything would help. "...how can i help?"

"Dunno, how did you deal with it?" The mattress shifted underneath him, and you felt your hands being gently pried away from your face. His soul had disappeared, back inside of him.

"lay your head on my lap." He patted it. You threw a pillow there, just... in case the bones were uncomfortable. "on your back, head up. close your eyes." You did as you were told, feeling the cool of his fingers pressing into your temple. A sense of calm washed over you as he began to massage into them.

"Ooh... that's nice," you smiled a little, sighing. He made a grunt, his fingers growing cooler and... vibrating? "What're you doing?"

"uh, i know some healing magic... this is the best i can do. it'll only alleviate the pain for a few hours, but..."

"Aw, that's so sweet. I might have to go see a dentist. You're giving me cavities."

"heh..."

His magic fingers™ massaged over your temple, the bridge of your nose, bits of your scalp- it felt so nice going through your hair. You purred, feeling the pain recede. The thought occurred to you that your sister might be experiencing the pain,too.

_You holdin up?_

_go_ _away_

You noped the fuck out of there, feeling her pain sync up with yours for an instant. No, thanks. She'll be fine, hopefully. "Hey, Sans? Why did I start getting these powers? I mean... you said it's pretty rare..."

"it is," he shrugged. "maybe one of your ancestors was a warlock of some sort... maybe something weird in your genetic code... and maybe the Underground's magic just kinda seeped into you and chose you as its host."

"Like a really cool leech?"

"like a really cool leech." He imitated a sucking motion with his hands, making gross slurping noises. You couldn't help but laugh. "you're really cute when you laugh, you know?"

"Cuter than Frisk?"

"oh that's a reach."

"I know, I know, I was joking." Your eyes fluttered open, angling up at him. The look on his face made your heart drop into your stomach. In a good way. Shit. God. He's. He's so cute... the way he's blushing... the gentle look in his eyes (or lack thereof)... and his fingers tracing down your cheek and along your jawline... stopping at your chin, your breathing getting a little funny for a second... then touching your lips with the grace of a whisper of wind. You parted them just slightly at their feathery brush, breathing through them onto the very faintly blue glowing phalanges. "...Sans." His fingertips slipped away with a very slight tremble.

_im not coming back to the room im gonna stay with papyrus and frisk they know someone who can help me_

_Okay. Feel better, sis. I love you._

_yeah, you too._

"u-uh. talkin to your sister there?" Way to break the mood, Jo. 

"I know my own sister like I know my own mind," you shrugged. "Even better now. Um. Thank you," you turned your eyes away, "for doing that. I feel a lot better now.

"glad to help..."

"..."

"..."

So what now? What will you do? Lay here on his lap until dinner? Suggest an activity? You should probably ask all those other questions you had about magic. Like how long it'd take to get any control, because you seemed to have a pretty good grasp on that whole telepathy thing already so maybe everything else would come easier like teleporting would be super cool you could lay in bed until the last minute and then bam right at work or right in class and if someone needed a lift somewhere you could take them you could travel anywhere in the world if you willed it you could commit crimes you could rob a bank you-

"The possibilities are endless," you whispered aloud.

"hm?"

"...having magic is gonna be awesome."

"heh. i'm glad you think that."

"...do I really have to keep it a secret from everybody?"

"i mean, no. you can tell the whole world, i can't stop you. what i said was really a warning- a bit of worry for you. there are consequences to your actions, and you'll have to deal with them if you do."

"Hm. I get it. Okay. Thanks."

"so are we just gonna sit here or do something?"

"Eh, I kind of like doing nothing."

"me too. it's my favorite activity." A phone buzzed. Sans snuck a look at his. "papyrus says your sister will be fine."

"I trust him."

"you only just met him and you trust him?" 

"I just met you, and I have a-" You slapped a hand over your mouth before the words came out.

"a what? a raging boner for me?" Groan. "didn't know you wanted to be in the bone zone so bad." GROAN. "no need tibia bad sport about it." GROAAANNNNN. "though i'd be fibul-ying if i said i didn't want to see how... soft the rest of you is." COLD HAND ACROSS YOUR CHEEK AND GOOSEBUMPS RUNNING DOWN YOUR LEG

"aaaaaaaaaaa" the quiet cry managed to escape between your self-prison.

"oh, already crying for me? heh..." HE IS DOING THE VOICE THING AGAIN. "i'm hip with it."

you're gonna cry oh my god you are going to cry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Buzz Lightyear pose* Hamilton references, Hamilton references everywhere.  
> GUESS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT


	8. On A Balcony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So much kissing. So much. Also: dropping snowballs and other things onto people from above. They hear you call their name from a balcony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "When we finally walk away from everything with our own four feet, I hear you call my name from a balcony. And I like the way you say it."  
> -Okkervil River, "On A Balcony"  
> oh just fyi i changed my tumblr url to asrielking

you are going to cry and YOU CANNOT HANDLE THIS RIGHT NOW

You sat up way too quickly and felt that rush of blood going to all the wrong places, so you steadied yourself... against his knee behind you. 

"well, i'll be damned," Sans chuckled. "i didn't think that'd work."

"Agh!" You swiped it away like you were touching something foul. "No! I! No!!! Sans I- oh god this is- can we maybe try just kissing first?! Oh man I like you but oh man.." You could feel yourself crumpling internally. What is this?? 

"hey," a hand on your right shoulder, "we can go as slow as you'd like. i was just teasing."

"...You're a real bonehead, you know that?" 

"hehe. yeah." He was urging you to angle and look at him. You only looked over your shoulder, cheek brushing against his hand.

"Do you actually... like me like that?"

"i wouldn't be here if i didn't."

"But why not Jo?" You bit down on your lip. "We're exactly alike in every way."

"but you're not. i don't know if i can describe it... but i feel it in my soul."

"I guess you could say I'm your soulmate?"

"wow, you went there." A sparkle shone in his void-like eyes. You just wanted to drown in them. 

"Guess I did." You twisted your torso, leaning in close. "Tell me more."

"you're absolutely, incredibly gorgeous." Closer. "you stopped my magic, my teleportation in the middle of using it and that's a feat that no one else was able to do."

"Ahuh." Fingers creeping up around the back of his skull.

"your puns make me want to die from laughter." His hand sliding down your shoulder. Eyes shut. Foreheads touch. "your soul, your magic, you... i can't stop thinking about you."

"Yeah?"

"yeah."

"Then kiss me."

There was no need to angle your head to avoid bumping noses- he didn't have one, just a hole in his skull, and though the bone scraped a little awkwardly on your skin, it worked, and you were pressing your lips to his teeth, which was weird, but nice, and considering you had only kissed what like three really awful kissers in your life? This was better by far. You wouldn't pry yourself away, no matter how much he couldn't really kiss back. His hands slipped around to your back, pulling you practically on top of him. Your fingers fumbled awkwardly around the base of his skull, and you touched it all, though you didn't know the names of any of the parts you just... god, you wanted to memorize every part of him. When you accidentally touched his vertebrae at his neck, a sound like the distant rumbling of thunder came from him. 

You liked that. A lot. You curled your fingers in, scraping just the tip of the nail against it, eliciting more delectable groans that shook you to the very core. He nipped playfully at your bottom lip and you were helpless.

"Okay," you said breathlessly, finally pulling your lips off of him, "screw what I said and how I was feeling earlier I am totally up for the bone zone."

"you just can't resist me, huh?" He shuddered under your touch. "what makes you like a big ol' bag of bones like me, anyway?"

"You're full of surprises," you kissed his forehead. "You're awfully cute," his cheek, "you're always ribbing me with your awful puns," and the other, "and you love your brother and I'm a sucker for a family man," you finished with  pressing your lips to his jaw. 

"ah," he held back a small cry. "th-that feels really good..." You did it again, and again, and again, scraping your teeth along his mandible (odd sensation) paired with the very tip of your tongue. Tastes like... well, something, but nothing you could really identify. Tastes like Sans. His fingers gripped the hem of your shirt, quiet moans slipping out of him while you sucked on his jaw... then neck, half your face buried in the fur of his hood, nose pushing the top of his turtleneck out of the way... If he could produce goosebumps, you would love to feel them under your mouth. But the chill, the rumbling coming from his bones, gave you goosebumps of your own, along with how handsy he was getting.

His palms pressed against the bare of your lower back, crawling like little crackling spiders, one chilling inch after another, up under your shirt, begging for it to come off. You chided him with little "ah-ah-ah"s. Not yet. You swept your hands down, into the opening of his jacket, slipping it over his shoulders. He shrugged it off, hands moving off of you to wiggle the sleeves and allow the jacket to fall onto the bed. You could feel his ribcage pressing into your chest through the sweater. You pushed on him further, feeling him lean underneath you-

"oh no, don't you dare." After a short scuffle you found yourself pinned beneath him, the wide, shit-eating grin on his face returned with friendly malice.

"Wow, Sans," you giggled nervously. "Didn't know you were such a dom..." 

"heh, i can be intimidating when i want to be." His right (left?) eye flashed to blue, steaming and swirling (just like your libido at the moment). His hands departed from your wrists, raking down your arms, chest, torso, leaving behind a faintly glowing blue trail that you were sure was going to set fire to your clothes. You let out a whine of protest.

"That's my favorite shirt..." 

"oh don't worry, it'll be out of harms way soon enough..." 

 **Knock,** **knock.**

"Ugh," you rolled your eyes. "Ignore it, they'll go away." You swung your arms up and yanked him down by the collar, pressing another kiss against him. He tilted in a strange way, like he was trying to return it. It was sweet, chaste in comparison to where his hands were fiddling.

 **Knock, knock, knock knock knocknocknocknock!!!** "Heeeeyyyy!" Ugh, Kevin. You continued to ignore it, letting out a breathy moan when his index fingers brushed over your nipples. You bent yourself into his touch.

"ya like that, huh?" His low, growling voice sent a shiver down your spine. The knocking turned to pounding.

"HEY IF YOU DON'T ANSWER WE'LL PICK THE LOCK!"

"...ignore them?" Your eyes flew open in fear.

"No, they'll fucking do it," you grumbled. "Hold on one sec." You wrenched yourself from his grip and rolled out of the bed, adjusting yourself to look a little less flustered. Putting the chain lock on, you cracked the door open. "What do you brats want?"

"Aw, don't be like that, -----," Billy grinned innocently up at you. 

"Yeah, we just wanna hang out with our coolest older sibling," Eddy smirked.

"...what kind of trouble do you plan on getting into?"

"The kind that involves dropping massive amounts of snow onto people from our balcony." Kevin gave you a knowing look.

"........you know how to lure me in," you sighed. "Can you give me like, ten minutes? I'll meet you at your room." They gave a whoop of joy.

"Seeya there!" They dashed off without another word. You shut the door, sighing on your way back to the bed.

"so...?" Sans was laying on his side, head propped up in one hand. 

"So my brothers are total manipulative assholes, using my idea against me to rope me into pulling pranks on the unsuspecting innocent." You sat on the foot of the bed, making him bounce a little a the impact. "Thus I have been torn from feeling devious in a sexual way to feeling devious in a teenage boy way." You shook your head.

"'s fine with me. long as i can come." He rubbed a gentle hand over your back. "though i'd like to continue this soon."

"Oh man, the triplets are gonna love you. And yes," you spun and placed a kiss on the side of his face, "we will definitely continue this."

* * *

 

Approximately one dozen minutes later, after a walk brimming with teasing butt-grabs from Sans and one silly quick make-out against a wall (you discovered he can do some very... interesting things with his magic. Like make a tongue. Which brought up the question, why couldn't he make lips, too? He said he just hadn't thought of that and will experiment. Odd fellow indeed), you arrived at the triplet's room, door held open with... well, you didn't want to know where they got that brick but they would probably tell you anyway.

"Knock, knock," you called, stepping in. The cold of outside was sweeping into the room. Idiots left the door open. Grand. And it was growing colder with the day growing older. That rhymed and I am sorry. You motioned Sans to follow you, hearing their dorky laughs coming from the balcony. Yes, give the mischievous thirteen-year-olds the room with the balcony, that will turn out perfectly, no harm done, boys will be boys, right? No boys will be held responsible for their actions just like every other person, you thought, evading clothes strewn hastily about the floor. They apparently did not know how to clean up. You prayed for whomever cleaned the rooms. 

You strode onto the balcony, regretting not bringing a coat. Pushed to the one side was a mound of snow almost your height, with Kevin, Billy, and Ed all clambering around it and strategizing. On the higher levels of the resort, the rooms facing the front had balconies. 

"Why would a place like this even consider balconies?" You asked with a shiver. Sans nudged you, holding out his coat. "Woah, what, no, you don't-"

"i'm a skeleton. i don't feel cold."

"Oh." You didn't want to ask why he even bothered wearing a coat. You thanked him, slipping into it while he went and introduced himself to the triplets. Hoo, the jacket was SUPER warm... and smelled like him. It was lined with the same fur of the hood and fit you perfectly. He might be short, but... this meant that you could steal all of his sweaters. Perfect. 

"----, this was YOUR idea?" He scoffed, a pile of snow already in his hands. 

"What? Dumping things onto people from above?" You shrugged, smirking like a dork. "I was a bit of a rabble-rouser. Can you blame me?" He dumped the snow over the edge, giggling at the inevitable  _flmp_ of snow landing below and the scream that followed. "How'd you guys manage to get so much snow piled up? I know the balcony collects some but..." Eddy pointed up and you followed his finger... to the roof, where a chunk of snow was missing. "Did you cause a mini avalanche so you could do this?"

"Yep," Billy said, running over and shoving snow in your arms. 

"I'm... impressed."

_Are you seeing this?_

_Yep. Still hurting. Nice goat lady is taking care of me. You'll have to come here sometime._

_Goat? ...alright, well, feel better._

 You shut the communication lines before anyone noticed, peeking over the ledge. People and monsters streamed in and out, coming and going, to the lifts, to the frozen pond to skate (wow you hadn't noticed that before???), to build snow creations or have snowball fights. Though, most of it was weird little blobs, since yoU HAD LEFT YOUR GLASSES IN THE ROOM whatever whatever whatever you dumped the snow and watched it fall it hit a couple and it was funny. Whatever. Sans commented on your nice shot, lobbing over a ball the size of his head. You snorted and soon it became a competition of how far you all could throw the snow and still hit someone. Without magic, Kevin won, with, Sans won. But everyone agreed that was kind of cheating. And so it continued until you were out of breath, sweating, laughing and catching snowflakes on your tongue. Also there wasn't any snow left on the balcony. You warned the boys to not do that again without letting you know first so you could bring buckets for the event. They agreed with a fervent nod and a grumble turned over in everyone's (except the one without) stomach and you decided it was time for dinner.

You invited Sans along, but he said that he'd be going to check in on his brother, Frisk, and your sister in the Ruins, wherever that was, and in turn, invited you along. Of course, he did this in front of your brothers, which got a chorus of 'ooooooooh's and a gagging noise. Sure, anything to get away from them, why not? You were worried about the effect of teleporting, though, so after returning to the room, you requested that he give you a very apt description of the place so you could go there yourself.

No, wait, you'd just use Jo as a reference. You opened up communications again, shooting her a quick thought, and she sent you many many mental pictures of a particular spot in front of a fireplace. "hope you're ready for snail pie and a lot of intrusive questions," Sans joked, taking hold of your hand.

And off you went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi this is Asriel and welcome to jackass  
> (tags changed after publishing of this chapter)  
> sorry it was so poorly written i'm a little out of steam but thanks for reading!!


	9. Twin Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner and a show

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first time I wrote this i accidentally closed the tab and now i'm really mad at myself for not writing anything in word  
> i'm an idiot  
> slow chapter ahead but  
> i'm gonna spoil somethin for y'all  
> sans + reader do the do next chapter

"I didn't fall, I said hello to the floor with my face!"

"You totally fell, sib."

"Well! I have a lot to work on!!!"

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS THINKS YOU ARE DOING VERY WELL WITH YOUR MAGIC FOR ONLY HAVING IT FOR A SHORT TIME!!"

"well, it is autumn all the time around here, so you could say you-"

"SANS, NO," everyone shouted.

"-fell into it?" Groans. Except from Toriel, who gave a hearty laugh. She reminded you of your grandmother. Tall, strong, smelled like pie and weird old lady perfume.

You had managed to teleport into the room, but about four feet in the air and too close to the fireplace for comfort. You realized that you'd probably end up stuck halfway through a wall one day and decided it was best to stick to short distances from now on. Apparently the ruins were fairly close to where the resort was located, but still a decent walk away. Toriel had been so kind to Jo, who was now sitting in a too-large-for-her armrest by the fireplace with a cool cloth on her forehead. She, Frisk, and Papyrus had arrived here about an hour after her splitache (her words, not yours) hit, recalling how fast Papyrus ran. It looked like it had hit her a lot harder than it did you, but by the time she arrived there, there wasn't much Toriel could do with healing magic. But Jo was already mostly passed out and Toriel let her sleep. Ah, so that meant she had slept through that whole... yes with Sans. 

Now that you were thinking of it, you saw she was giving you a sassy smile, sipping from a piping hot cup of tea. You vowed to kill her right on the spot, alighting yourself in a flash of steamy purple gas for dramatic effect. She put the cup down, then raised her fists. Fight me. If she wasn't feeling so shitty, you would. Toriel asked what was going on- a lot of anger for no words. You played it off as Twin Things, shaking away your dramatic purple. And the lack of words? Magic things. Ah. How about food things, then? Yes food things sound good. You were quite hungry for something other than Sans.

Jo was PHYSICALLY trying to restrain herself from cracking up. You reached a hand out towards her, and a much larger, (you guessed it) purple hand flew out, holding her head. With a blaze in your eyes you kindly told her to shut up. You were glad Toriel and Papyrus had been in the kitchen talking about... spaghetti? Because Sans had to stop you.

"Jeez," she rubbed her chin, "you've gotten a lot more control than I have."

"That was a fluke," you sighed, trying to calm down. "Sorry. I'm lashing out a lot more often. Anyway. So where's the world's cutest child?" Sans and Jo pointed behind you to a table, where Frisk was coloring. That punched you in the gut with cuteness. "Hi, Frisk," you waved, approaching. They returned it, then, placing the crayon down,

their right palm in front of them, face up, they pressed the open palm of their left and did a quick swipe, then opened their hands to face palms towards you, fingers splayed a little. They closed, inching backwards, clamping together, then they pushed back out.  _Nice magic._ Thumbs up. Back to coloring.

"Uh. Thanks."

"wait you understood that?"

"...Maybe it's the magic."

"Hey, Toriel? How much longer?" Jo called out.

"Only about fifteen minutes." She peeked her head out from beyond the doorway, ears flopping. You wondered how soft they were.

 _ So _   _soft._

"Thanks," your sister replied, then turned to you.. "So what else can you do?"

"Oh, yeah, lots of neat things." You tore a chair from the table and scooted it over to her. "And by lots I mean, like, three."

"Still more than me."

"Hey, you can at least use telepathy."

"Yeah but you've blocked me out a bunch of times. I can't do that."

"It's pretty easy. Like it's closing a conversation on IM? Just think of yourself closing the conversation in your head. Wanna try?"

"Hm..." she touched a finger to her temple. "Obey me," she whispered.

_Okay. So I want you to block me out. I'll keep sending them until I feel resistance._

_Your voice sounds so cute in my head._

_Good god woman will you concentrate???_

_Nah, I'm too busy sifting through your memories of that really hot makeout session. Mmmm. Bone zone._

_Oh my god you don't see me going through YOUR head, do you???_

_Can you even do that? Hahaha, what if I have powers you don't?_

_Unlikely but I respect your god damn privacy._

_Sorry, sorry, I'm just sayin', if you really loved me you would share him._

_You have a crush on Pap-_

"-yrus!" You clamped a hand over your mouth. "Shit did you just block me out halfway through a sentence?"

"Yeah, it was just as easy as you said. What's next?"

"You seen your soul yet?"

"I haven't exactly had the time, -----," Jo rolled her eyes. 

"Fair enough." You showed her just as Sans had shown you, but it was a little more solid-looking this time. "Maybe you can try after eating." She poked a finger into it. That sent a REALLY odd sensation through your body. It reminded you of the time you fell into a rose bush, but, internally.  _She didn't ask permission this is wrong this is WRONG_

"It feels like that sand from Hawaii." She pulled the finger out and sniffed it. A wave of relaxation pushed through, releasing your pain. "Smells like electricity? Huh"

"...I feel violated now," you hastily shoved it back inside of you. "Maybe ask next time before touching... that... felt really weird." Your ear twitched at the sound of hands slapping together behind you. You whirled around and saw Sans and Frisk signing. "Hey, stop gossiping about us," you joked. You hadn't caught any of that, to be honest. Frisk stopped, mid-sign, pointing a finger to you (or Jo. Or both) then putting two to their chin and curling them in.

_They're cute._

"I know you are, but what am I?" You joked, sticking your tongue out. Frisk blushed, pulling up their purple striped sweater over their face until all you could see was the mess of brown hair on top. "Awh oh gosh."

"they never know what to do when they get called cute. gets them pretty flustered," Sans patted their back. 

"Pie is cooling!" Toriel sang, dancing out of the kitchen. "Papyrus is making some pasta," she grimaced, "despite my saying that it was unnecessary... my snail pie will be more than big enough to go around!" Your stomach churned. You remembered Sans mentioning snail pie, but you thought he was just joking... The queasy look on your face obviously grabbed Toriel's concern. "My child, are you quite alright? You look ill.'

"Um, I," you fanned yourself, holding your stomach, "I don't eat meat... and snails are included in that. Sorry," you grimaced.

"Oh! We have a vegetarian in our midst! I apologize, I should have been more considerate to everyone's feelings. I'm sure Papyrus will create a wonderful spaghetti for you to consume." You gave a thumbs up.

"YES, AS LONG AS I KEEP STIRRING!"

* * *

 

The spaghetti was... indescribable. Your face scrunched up automatically in response. Like, it wasn't bad, for sure, the sauce was great, noodles a bit overcooked, but it just had some, uh, interesting ingredients. Was that glitter? You hoped it was edible. Papyrus was looking at you intently, waiting.

"It's, uh... pretty... neat." That seemed to be the correct response, because he squee'd and then proceeded to devour his own food. You managed to get through about three quarters of yours before feeling full or nauseous, couldn't tell which. Jo ate all of her oversized slice of pie and collapsed back into the armchair, observing quietly. Frisk went to be tucked into bed when they were finished instead. You didn't see Sans eat, but his plate was clear when you looked back only a minute later. ....suspicious. Whatever. Papyrus excused himself, saying something about going 'on patrol', eliciting a restrained chuckle from Sans.

"not much to patrol for," he whispered when Papyrus was out of earshot. "so what do you think?"

"Hm? Oh. It's nice here." You shrugged. "Certainly nicer than the snow. I like autumn a lot better anyway."

"i'm an all-terrain skeleton," he knocked a fist against his chest. In the corner of your eye, Toriel seemed to be... furrowing her brow.

"Something got your goat, Toriel?" She lifted her head from her bridged paws, eyes widening in response to your joke. She giggled.

"So nice to find another fan of puns," was her response. "I am fine, child, I was just thinking... about how nice it was to have so many people around again. I've been feeling quite..." she gave a very bad wink, "bonely lately." The three of you snorted a bit.

_She's great I love her??_

_Another_ _mom._

"Jokes aside, though I have a home on the surface, it's rare to get visitors. I come down here for nostalgia's sake... Frisk bounces between everyone's care... so I get a lot of alone time." Her eyes sighed as loudly as she did. You reached over the table and put a hand atop her paw, giving a gentle smile.

"I can't say we know what that's like."

"Because our family is so big, we hardly have any time apart from them."

"But we can say for certain that everyone really loves you, Toriel. You were the first one that Papyrus thought to go to to take care of someone in need. And.. I can't thank you enough. I don't know what I'd have done if Jo had ended up really hurt..." You pushed away the feeling of tears.

"Just a few moments ago you two were at each other's throats, though?" Toriel gave a little, very adorable, look of confusion. "I cannot tell if you love or hate each other."

"all this talk of siblings reminds me to go check on papyrus... i'll be back." Sans gave your other free hand a quick squeeze before slipping away.

"Be safe," Toriel called. "Don't let anything get under your skin!"

_That one was okay._

_Laugh anyway?_

Both you and Jo forced a small laugh at that. "Yeah, we fight a lot, but we don't actually mean any harm."

"Yeah, but if someone hurts you... or me, for that matter, we'd be down to fight to the death for each other." Jo said that with SUCH nonchalance it regurgitated your tears. You wiped the stinging shitheads away before they could start to fall. 

"That is so sweet! A sibling love like yours is truly an incredible bond. You must be bound by your souls..."

"Well, we are twins," Jo scoffed.

"What are-"

"Born at the same time."

"Ah."

"But you don't even know what your soul looks like, so how can you say for sure that we're alike, right down to it?"

"Oh.. yeah, weren't we gonna do that?"

"Please go outside for that- I do not wish for anything to... explode," Toriel sweated. She was speaking from experience, apparently.

* * *

 

The air in the Ruins was much warmer, indeed, albeit a little stuffy. But you could appreciate the Halloween-esque aesthetic vibe it gave off. Purple, red, black... pretty nice! You kicked at a pile of leaves under the tree in the 'front yard', waiting for Jo to join you. Playfully crinkling through the leaves filled you with... a weird sad nostalgia, like you were a kid once who didn't have to worry about getting to class on time or your shitty boss harping on you for taking a fucking week off, GOD FORBID you take more than one day off every six days, right? Now you were filled with unbridled rage and wanted to tear his stupid throat out but Jo's figure stepping out of the doorway made you wipe away all of that. For her. Anything for her.

"You ready for this? Head okay? Got your underpants?"

"Yes, mostly, no."

"What?"

"I'm joking," she approached, flicking your nose. "So how do we do this?"

"Well..." You took a deep breath. "To explain.. It's like summoning everything that you are, that you think you are, everything you love and hate and concentrating that magical energy in front of you." She gave you an exasperated look.

"That does NOT sound easy!"

"It took me like a whole hour to even get it to come out for a few seconds," you chuckled, rubbing the back of your head awkwardly. "Until then, it was just like having mind constipation."

"Ew."

"Yeah. Take a shot, though. I just wanna see what it looks like."

She leaned against the trunk of the tree, shutting her eyes and breathing slowly. The branches of the tree swung in the vacant wind that blew.

"Is anything happening?" She opened one eye.

"...no."

"Damn." 

"You have to really concentrate. It gets easier with time, but just... throw your entire self into it."

"My entire self. Got it." Her face scrunched, fists balled at her side. Sharp breaths through her nose, out through her lips. A slight, vaguely roundish neon purple glow started rising out of her chest, but then sank back in with a gasp. "Agh."

"That was good! Keep doing that."

* * *

 

When they returned from 'patrolling' the Ruins, Sans and Papyrus had taken to watching Jo's attempts, Papyrus choosing to stand while Sans fell asleep against a wall.

"TYPICAL LAZYBONES," Papyrus had said, rolling his not eyes in fake disgust. But he still put his scarf around his brother while he slept. Jesus Christ someone protect this precious cinnamon bun. So much for watching. You sidled up besides your skeleton boyfriend (??? maybe it was too early to call it that), feeling his slow in and out breathing, the rising and falling of his shoulders against yours, while simultaneously shouting encouragement to your sister and bringing out your soul as slowly as you could as an example.

"It's-it's just not WORKING!" She threw her arms up in defeat. She panted, half bending over.

"YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP NOW, HUMAN! AFTER ALL, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BELIEVE IN YOU!!" The tall skeleton struck a wide pose, fists in front of him. "JUST STAY DETERMINED!!! YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO!" Jo gazed up at him, the faint rouge of a blush surfacing at her cheeks.

"...You know what, Papyrus? You're right! I can do this!!" You rolled your eyes. What a flirt. She shot you a quick look, lips taut and nostrils flared. You yawned a half assed apology and told her to get back to work. "You want a soul? I'll give you a soul!" With a bright flash, a shape emerged from her chest, floating to hover about three inches in front of her. The figure filled up from bottom to top, like a glass of water, with a solid, lilac color dotted with little darker purple specks. You instantly leaned forward, mouth agape. She blinked a few times. "Wow. Didn't expect that to actually work."

"WOW, HUMAN, YOUR SOUL IS SO PRETTY!" Papyrus's eyes were practically bulging out if his skull. You didn't ask. You leapt up to your feet and half jogged to her and leaned in close to her soul.

"It's so... different from mine." You produced yours, which still seemed swirly and misty compared to her solid, shining shape. Yours was about ten shades darker, too.

"Yours is like a little universe... mine looks like candy... but the way the darker purple spots look?"

"Yeah, those look like the stars in mine. And at least it's the same color, just... not the same shade." You could see your soul pulling itself towards her. "Aw, they wanna play!"

"Pff, no, bad soul, back inside." Jo's disappeared in an instant. You huffed indignantly, letting your soul seep back into your body. "Guess we don't have twin souls then, huh?"

"IT IS STILL VERY COOL HOW THEY'RE SO SIMILAR, THOUGH!" Papyrus swept the two of you up in a hug, swinging you back and forth. "NOT EVEN MINE AND SANS'S LOOK THAT ALIKE!"

"P-papyrus please put me down," you whined. You hated the motion of moving back and forth like that.

"OH. SORRY." He dropped you (rude) but kept a giggly Jo in his arms.

_FLIRT!!!_

_Says the one who's about to bone a skeleton._

* * *

 

It was late, and Toriel insisted upon you staying. You couldn't exactly say no, because you were "bone tired" and you sent a quick text to some of the parents to let them know that you and she were both going to be out for the night. According to your watch, it was almost midnight. But time seemed frozen and broken down here in the Underground, as there was no sun or moon to dictate the passage of time. Just the circadian rhythm of the monsters, moving like breaths between days. 

Jo asked if she could sleep on that armchair again, which Toriel said was perfectly fine. She led you to a bedroom that looked to be newly renovated with its own private bathroom. She said she completed it this way so that Frisk could bathe, and for any humans that happened to pass through. It had a decently sized bed, a little wardrobe, and everything was accented in rich browns and golds. You asked if there was anything you could borrow to sleep in, since you had been basically wearing the same pants for two days straight.

"Yes, I do have a spare robe or two laying around. It might be big on you, but it'd guarantee you comfort. Why don't you bathe before bed, too? It will help you relax after such an exciting day!"

"That does sound nice... Thank you again for everything, Toriel. It was nice to meet you." You gave her a cheery smile.

"Oh, well... thank you!" She would probably be blushing underneath that fur. "I'll leave the robe outside the door, if that's alright!" You agreed and skipped into the bathroom immediately, stripping yourself of your clothes. You could feel your skin sighing, shaking loose from being restrained under the authority of the evil cloth. The water was just as nice as it was at the resort, and there were some lovely lavender and oatmeal soaps. You had to commend Toriel for her ability to know what humans liked. 

You toweled off, not bothering to look at yourself in the mirror because good luck seeing anything, and stepped out. The after steam rolled across the floor in a mysterious fashion. Neat! You cracked open the bedroom door and found only floor, no robe.

"looking for this?" A whisper in your ear. You flailed, falling back. Standing above you was Sans, holding the folded robe in his hands tauntingly.

"Sans!" You hissed. "You nearly made me jump out of my skin, you bonehead!" He chuckled, inching the door closed with the tip of his foot. The slippers were missing, you noticed. He tucked the robe under his arm and held out a hand. You took it and he helped you off the floor, immediately wrapping you tight in his arms.

"well, since you have it still on, mind if i get some skin?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am very, very unhappy with this chapter, because a visit to Toriel's was not planned (okay none of this was planned but I didn't see any of this happening)


	10. Love & The First Law of Thermodynamics, part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't think of a summary so have this text

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is skippable but there's a little bit of dialogue. Smutty parts are indicated by a line break, five bolded asterisks, and another line break, in case you want to skip that and read just the dialogue bits.  
> Sorry this took so long to get out... I've been dealing with a weird mental block with this fic.
> 
> this originally said "smutty parts are indicated by a line bread" which is funny to me because i was eating sourdough while typing up the note

"Oh, god," was the first words that you uttered. "Sans, no, in- in  _Toriel's_ house?!"

"'s as good a place as any." He nuzzled his skull into the crook of your neck.

"But they'll  _hear_ ," you hissed in a hushed whisper, scrambling away from him. Heat burned in your face.

"i know for a fact that tori sleeps like a rock," he jerked a thumb and silly grin in the direction of her room, "but we don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"It's not that I don't, I do, really, I'm just worried I might get... loud. And I've no idea how this is all gonna work anyway! I mean you're... a skeleton!" You felt so silly right now. Humans were pretty simple, sexually, no matter the parts, you could figure it out. 

"we were doing fine just earlier. i, uh... liked the way you were touching me, heh." 

"...Alright," you took a deep breath to try to calm your worries. "But if it gets too loud-"

* * *

*********

* * *

 

"-then I'm putting a stop to it." Previous experience in masturbating reminded you that you were, in fact, a bit of a screamer. Although that fling with, what was her name? Mei? From the dorms last semester proved otherwise... You chalked it up to a bad first time and hoped Sans knew what he was doing. "Come on," you waved him over, the soft pit-pats of your bare feet on the floor leading to the bed, his footfalls oddly silent. You sat on the edge of it, Sans hopping up besides you. "So, I'm naked, there goes that surprise."

"nah, i... could look at you all day if i wasn't so hungry for ya." You squinted. You hadn't said the 'hungry for something other than Sans' line out loud earlier, had you? Or was he just that good at reading people? Though this thought was squashed under a metaphorical boot and the very literal touch of Sans' fingertips on your neck and cheek. Combined with the temperature difference from the shower and the room, your skin was a mountain range of gooseflesh. Palm cupped under your chin, he leaned up to you. You twisted yourself to meet him halfway, lips mashing awkwardly against his teeth. 

"Could you, uh," you breathed in a whisper.

"alright, sweet lips." You rolled your eyes. You scooted further onto the bed, motioning him to do the same. Once comfortably sat, a slight blue formed in front of his teeth. You snorted. "what, something funny about them? they look just like yours!" 

"Well, yeah, but... I can see through them, so it's just funny." The translucent blue lips, modeled after your own (would that constitute as making out with yourself?), moved along with his words while his teeth still sat perfectly still behind them. "It's like... really weird, so, maybe no."

"you're giving me a real workout here, kid," he said, and the lips were gone in an instant. "is there anything else i can do for you,  _your majesty?_ " His arms slid around your torso, tugging you closer. 

"Oh, bite me," you said with sarcasm, fingers reaching up to the inside of his jacket. They threaded up and around, brushing against the soft lining, to stroke the vertebrae uncovered by the turtleneck. 

"as you wish," he muttered, face shooting to your neck too quickly to react. You felt his jaw unhinge against yours, teeth meeting the perfect point, somehow. Right under where your earlobe and jaw joined, shooting... not quite sparks, but stars through you, right to throb in your thighs. You gasped, shuddering, letting out the quietest of moans when his ghostly tongue came into play. He chuckled, low and grinding in your ears. Your fingers gripped at the base of his skull, turning that chuckle into a groan. 

Once again, you found yourself pushed under him. Huh, this is familiar! Only, this time, you're naked. And he's not. That is totally unfair and you are determined to change that, hands flying to get his coat off. He sat up momentarily, tossing it somewhere into the dark of the room, then focused his efforts back into your neck... and shoulder, and collarbone. You bit down on your lip, trying hard not to let out anything more than little squeaks and gasps. Where did he even learn to do this anyway??? How does he know?? How to touch you?? Why are his hands roaming into all the right places, scraping down your sides and thighs and pressing into your wrist and gripping at your hair and-

"Sans,  _please_ , this is so unfair!" Your body shuddered under him.

"hm?" His eyes lifted to meet yours. 

"I- I can't be the only one naked, so..." 

"oh, i see. you want this to be bare bones?" You scoffed, rolling your eyes. "or to be...  _bare boned?"_

"Okay, mood killed."

"heh heh heh. alright, sorry," he shut his eye sockets, sitting up again. He took a breath in, and when he let it out, the basketball shorts and turtleneck had disappeared. 

"Whaaaat," you whispered in amusement. "That's cheating." Your grin was almost as wide as his. He shrugged, hands out, opening one eye socket in a wink.

"what'd you expect? i'm lazy." You looked over him, arms reaching up and fingers gripping at his ribcage. Inside was empty, though his bones were a bit thicker and... softer than actual human bones. Not too soft, but. Man. They felt nice under your grasp. "h-heh," he shook, comical sweat drops appearing on his head. "take it you like what you see?"

"...It's pretty much what I expected," you shrugged. "You're a skeleton. Just a big big boned, but otherwise... you look about the same as a human skeleton." 

"and to think i was about to write you a soliloquy based on your excellence." He traced a finger up your arm, enticing you to pull him in closer.

"Oh, okay, mister wise-skeleton, since you're so lazy, and so disappointed in my answer, why don't you show me just what my punishment is for being unsatisfactory?" You rubbed your hands against his ribs, around to his spine and twisting fingers around that. He shuddered.

"hah... you're really kind of a freak, aren't you?" 

"..That's actually pretty vanilla, in terms of freakishness."

"i'm trying to be sexy here, okay? give me a break."

"Oh, I'll break  _somethin'_ if you don't get back to touching me." Okay, can you pick a tone and stick with it? Don't go hopping around from sexy to serious to annoyed all in the span of three sentences, like Jesus Christ. If your life was a novel, it'd be a very poorly written one with some sick, twisted author who probably stayed up way too late and wrote on an empty stomach because the theme here seems to be hunger. Meaning that Sans was hungrily and fervently nipping and trailing bites down you. He will eat you alive, your squirming, helpless self, whole, in its entirety. So he wanted to get you riled up with a bit of oral, was that what he planned? Lifting his hands under your legs, massaging at the fat on the back of your thighs, rubbing his cheek and tongue slithering? Closer, closer, muttering. 

"softest thing i've ever felt," closer. "sweetest i'd ever tasted." Damn, he really was writing you a poem now. You felt the heat rising at your cheeks, the slight bit of embarrassment at staring down at him, at yourself, yet you couldn't pry your eyes away. His magic eye fixed on you, on your engorged self, blue misty steam pouring over it, the sudden fever forcing a moan out of you, louder than you would have liked to be. A drop of sweat made its way from your pit to slither long your side. "you okay?" God he was so sweet to check, but were you??? Your eyes darted back and forth in thought. A quick nod, yes, you're good for this, you're so good, you're about to get screwed seven ways to Sunday, you're great! You are great you have teeth pressed against you you are moaning there is a tongue going to places that a tongue has never been 

your hands are clenching at the sheets, your toes are curling, your head is bobbing between watching and throwing itself back as Sans's skull is thoroughly occupied at your crotch. Sparks, stars, galaxies in your loins. The tongue feels cool and slick against you, lapping you up, sucking you down. He can't get enough of you and you have had enough of him. Your hips arch into him, grinding your entirety against the blue. His fingers dug into your thighs and ass, scratching and pinching in harmony with your restrained whines. 

"S-sans, p-p-please," you whimper, nearing orgasm, "I-I can't...!" The grip his hands had on your legs immediately loosened, head popping up.

"s-sorry," he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "did- did it hurt??" You let out a sharp sigh, panting resuming.

"No, no, it, it's just... I can't keep quiet... if you keep doing that, I'm gonna scream... hah.." You relaxed back, covering your eyes with one arm. "Shit, that... wooh, can you say temperature difference?"

"i can turn up the heat, if ya like." You could hear him winking.

"Actually, yeah... I mean, it's a little cold up here..." Your voice was low, and you peeked out from under your arm to see the corners of his eye sockets reaching up, a warm blue blush sitting comfortably on his face. Keeping one hand fixed around your thigh, Sans made his way back up you, repeating the familiar pinches of flesh between his teeth until his face met yours. You could smell yourself on him. The perfume of pheromones overwhelmed your senses. A shock of electricity jolted through you. A finger was probing around your entrance teasingly. Your breath hitched and it took all of your determination not to moan.  

"ya like that, babe?" His voice buzzed through you.

"God, yes!" You arched into his touch, feeling the tip of his finger enter you. Your hands clenched like a vice around his hips, eliciting a surprised groan from him. The digit plunged in further, working you over. Your nails dug into the bone, grinding him against you, made worse by the feeling of a second finger rubbing the outer rim of your entrance.

"sh-shit, babe, p-please..." His bones rattled in your touch. "m-more like th-that, please...." You panted hotly against him, pressing kisses to his skull while massaging the inner and outer rims of his hip bones. " _fuck,_ th- ahh-!" His free hand gripped into your hair, twisting and pulling knots. Your fingers threaded through the bones and wandered to his coccyx. Sans bit down on you, his sighs and groans echoing into you.The tiny jerks of pain coupled with two fingers exploring inside made you moan until it all went black, dots and sparks dancing behind your eyelids. You swore, letting out a restrained orgasmic gasp. Your grip tightened, loosened, and then stayed weakly attached as he gave you a few final slow pumps before guiding his fingers out. 

"Hh...holy shit, Sans, I-" You swallowed hard, pressing your thumbs into his spine, causing him to shiver. "I... is there more where that came from...?"

"...was that a fucking pun?"

"N-not intentionally, was  _that_?"

"yes, yes it was." You snorted. 

"Hah. Well, if you can't make your partner laugh, you're doing it wrong..."

"hm, glad i'm doin ya right, then." Another wink. God, what an absolute fucking dork. "and that isn't even half of it..."

* * *

 

*********

* * *

 

After several hours of touching, playing, and really awful puns, it had come to an end. Exhausted and bruised a little, you finally relaxed under the cover of night. And blankets. Sans had an arm tucked underneath you, the other brushing down the mess of your hair. You hummed a sigh.

"Sans?"

"hm?"

"Where'd you even learn all that, anyway?"

"you act like i've never been on the internet."

"Okay, but porn isn't exactly representative of real life."

"no, but many hours on forums and first hand experience is."

"...So you're telling me you've boned another human?" An amused grin spread on your face.

"wh-no!" He hit your shoulder playfully.

"Well, whatever, I wouldn't be jealous anyway." 

"you don't seem the type." 

"I'm too font of you."

"....wow, i'm speechless, that.... that was really good," he chuckled, nuzzling his grinning face into you.

"I am, in fact, the proverbial cat in this situatiooooonnnnnn..." The last syllable stretched out into a yawn. Sans curled his fingers around the back of your head, tilting up to press his teeth to your lips.

"..why don't we get some sleep?" You nodded, smooching him again. 

The quiet sounds of faint Froggit croaks and the relaxing motion of his hands petting you lulled you finally to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> from here on if i write smut involving this story they'll be as separate one-shots in the series of Doing It On a Balcony. and that's kind of a big "if".  
> sorry it wasn't... great, y'know? i just wanted to push through it.  
> i think by ch 15 metta will become involved in this... by ch 20 the vacation will be over... but i want to continue it past that.... so... there's my general plans for the series....


	11. Love & The First Law of Thermodynamics, part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sad revelation but like the good person you are, you do the best you can and help out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot of this chapter was inspired by my feels about Gaster and the song "Wait For It" from the Hamilton soundtrack

_ HEY!!! WAKE UP!!! WAKE UUUUUPPPPP!!! _

Muhhhhh. "Wh time is it?"

"early."

"Oh, kay."  _Fuck offfffff._

_It's like two in the afternoon, we kinda should go back?_

_Shit, really?_ You creaked one eye open, reaching around for- well your phone was still in your pants, which were folded on the other side of the room god damn it.

_Yeah, and Papyrus is worried about his brother. Do you know where Sans is?_

_....welllll......_

_NO._

_..................................yeeeahhhh...._

_oh my god. Did you. Do the thing?_

_Does this answer your question?_ You rolled around, snuggling close to Sans and pressing kisses to the back of his neck and skull. He grunted, rubbing his fingers between yours.

_That is so freakin adorable but seriously I can't teleport and want to get back, I mean, there's like, three days left in our vacation and we've spent most of it not vacationing._

_You don't consider this vacationing?_

_No. Now get up or I'll tell Papyrus that you and Sans did the dirty._

_I don't care if you tell him!_ You sighed. "Hey. I gotta get going. Jo's getting anxious."

"mmhm."

"Hey, bonehead, you could at least give me a kiss before I go."

"mmhm."

.......Boy, he's stubborn. You rubbed his arm before throwing the covers off and stumbling out of bed. You stretched, feeling your bones pop and skin pull. A quick check in the bathroom mirror confirmed the presence of bruises and bite marks. You touched one in particular on your collarbone. It stung. He must have drawn blood there... 

_ Sexy. _

_One thousand years dungeon for you._

_ Hahaha hurry up I'm giving you two minutes before I do the thing. _

_What thing? Tell the cinnamon bun that I fucked his brother? So what, I'm not afraid of that._

_No, I was gonna text the triplets that you did._

_Holy shit please_ _no._ You threw on your clothes haphazardly, shoved your shoes on and fixed the mess of your hair and then dashed out the room, nearly tripping into the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. You caught yourself and leaned against it. "I'm good."

"Real smooth." Jo rolled her eyes and pushed herself away from the door frame. You noticed her phone in her hand. She was really going to do it! What a...

"Anyway, you want me to teleport you back? I don't think that'd be the BEST of ideas."

"That was the plan. Unless you want to walk." She followed you down the hall to the central room, where you saw Toriel, holding Frisk in her arms, with Papyrus by their side.

"Oh! Good morning. Or, afternoon, should I say."

"HUMAN! YOU ARE FINALLY AWAKE! I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER WAKE UP!" 

"I like sleep," you half-grinned. "Anyway, thank you for allowing us to stay, Toriel. But we have to get going."

"Yes, your sister already explained to me. I've packed some cinnamon butterscotch pie for you to take." Her eyes closed when she smiled, soft and comforting. Part of you wished to never leave her side, to stay and bake pies and rake leafs in the Ruins... Jo slapped a hand onto your shoulder, shaking that thought away into the realm of the forgotten. 

"OH, YES, HUMAN, I MEANT TO ASK YOU, DO YOU KNOW WHERE SANS IS?" 

"Yeah. He's still asleep." You glanced back down the hall. "I can go get him if you want-?"

"...HE SLEPT WITH YOU??"

"Uh, yeah?" 

"Well, that's a surprise!" Toriel looked away. You got the feeling she was jealous? "Well, worry not, Papyrus, I am quite sure he will awaken soon." Her eyes narrowed. Frisk bounced in her arms, petting at her horns.

"WOW! I DID NOT REALIZE HOW CLOSE FRIENDS YOU TWO WERE ALREADY! YOU WERE HAVING A SLEEPOVER AND DIDN'T INVITE ME!"

"Yeah, a... sleepover..." You felt like you were gonna choke. "So anyway how are we all getting home I don't trust myself with teleporting maybe let's walk??" You felt hotter than last night.

"YES, WALKING IS MUCH BETTER THAN JUST APPEARING WHERE YOU WANT TO GO! SHORTCUTS ARE FOR LAZYBONES ANYWAY." Papyrus struck a proud pose, his scarf flapping in an invisible wind. "I WALK EVERYWHERE! IT'S GOOD EXERCISE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

 _...Is this guy the literal embodiment of Skeletor or something?_ Jo giggled aloud. 

* * *

 

Frisk stayed behind, saying, well not saying but signing that they wanted to be with their mom a bit more. It was cute and you might have squealed a little bit. Papyrus strode in front of you, Jo keeping up pace with him, which you thought was kind of impossible because he was a quick walker. The way out was by taking the stairs through the basement and following it out a large set of doors. It seemed all very... ominous. You could feel something watching you the entire time... You clutched onto the box with the pie, fingers drumming anxiously on it. The air turned bitterly cold and you found yourself on a path in the forest. Your sister and Papyrus were rather far ahead and you sighed, hoping they'd notice you weren't with them and stop at some point. You nearly tripped over a large branch, cursing and muttering while trudging through the cold. You really wish you had a coat right then...

Behind you, the distinct sound of wood breaking echoed. You whirled around and saw that same branch you had almost broken your leg on blown to thin splintery smithereens. You gulped, eyes widening. What the fuck kind of thing could break something that big?? It was either fear or determination that made you push forward, eyes glancing every which way for danger. You could still see your sister and Papyrus up ahead, thank god. 

Snow crunched behind you, like someone following you. Okay that tears it you shut your eyes and sprinted ahead, jumping through a fold in the air and landing next to Jo. You spun, shoved the pie box in her very confused arms, turned around again, and ran down the path.

"Yo whaaatt...." You heard her calling after you. Your lungs burned in the cold air. Hypothermia was sure to set in after this. You spotted a snowbank in the line of trees and dove in, rolling behind a leafless oak and spying out onto the path. 

_Something is following me._

_What? Are you_ _okay?_  You saw them passing by, her arms splayed out in confoundment. 

 _Don't know what's in these forests..._  

" **H U M A N.** " You yelped, diving out of the trees. Jo and Papyrus were walking backwards now, the skeleton giving very confused glances between you two. You looked over your shoulder to see nothing.

"Wh-what the fuck lives in this forest?!" You gasped and panted. A bony finger poked at your shoulder, causing you to jump again.

"SANS! STOP PLAGUING THE HUMANS WITH YOUR PRANKS THROUGH SPACE AND TIME!!"

"Yeah!" You spun, seeing the stout skeleton giving you a.. very scary, hollow look. His eyes were blank. Empty. Yikes.

" **DON'T YOU KNOW IT'S RUDE TO LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE?** " 

"I have half a mind to knock your head off your shoulder. Don't you know it's rude to scare the shit out of someone?!" This conversation felt like an echo of the first one you had with him. "Besides you were asleep. I wasn't going to interrupt you." You looked up and waved at the other pair, who shrugged and turned about face to continue on without you. You gripped a hand at your chest, still heaving with gasps from the system shock. "What the hell is wrong with you, Sans?"

"what's wrong is you left me alone." The light in his eyes had returned, but they weren't looking at you. "i had to deal with Toriel giving me a very stern-um talk."

"Wow, you're mad at me and you still make puns. Why would Toriel-" It suddenly clicked. Her cold, far-off look... the tone of her voice... "Oh my god, you two were a thing, weren't you? That's how you know she wouldn't wake up and... oh my god," your hands flew to your mouth, giggles erupting like a fountain.

"yeah, we... it just didn't work out and she got all mad..." He shrugged.

"Ohhhh man. I told you that it was a bad idea!" 

"well see she didn't KNOW we actually did anything so as far as she knows, all we did was sleep in the most literal sense."

"So then, what's the problem?" He made a weird noise. "Hey. Look at me, Sans. Look at me." He did, your gaze holding his. "I'm sorry for leaving you like that, but if we're as alike as I think we are, then I know that you like sleep."

"heh, yeah. sorry for scaring you. should we, uh, make like a tomato and ketchup?" His head tilted in the direction of Papyrus and Jo, who were mere silhouettes in the distance.

"Oh, shit. Yeah. Let's go, pun master."

* * *

 

The walk back was mostly quiet, with you practicing teleporting short distances, which almost ended in failure a few times. Edge of a cliff, halfway up a tree... maybe it's best to stop now. Though, Sans kept a proud look on his face, encouraging you as you went. Seemed like it was easier when you were freaking out about something but you didn't want to use your magic only in emergencies. This ability was going to rake in a TON of cash. You could finally do something that you enjoyed for a living! No going to school, no wasting time in a dark and awful office typing for shit pay! 

The thought of becoming a professional magician filled you with determination. Your phone buzzed in your pocket as Sans led you down a path that diverted towards the resort. 

"Huh. Sorry, gotta take this." Nod. "Hey, dad!"

"-----, where are you? It's almost dinner time and you're not back yet," Paul said filled with worry. "Jo got back about thirty minutes ago with her... friend."

"Ah, the skeleton?"

"Yeah. He's... interesting."

"His name is Papyrus and you will be nice to him, understand?" Sans snorted beside you, grinning in approval. "Oh, shut up, you."

"I didn't say anything!"

"I was talking to someone else. Don't worry. I'm safe. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Oh, okay, good. Don't worry me like that. I thought you had gotten hurt."

"I'm fine, dad."

"Good. See you soon. Love you."

"Yeah, love you too." He hung up first. You looked at the phone fondly and then stuffed it away into your pants. "...oh, sorry about that," you realized Sans was staring at you. "Parents, you know?" Awkward chuckle.

"...not really."

"Oh, what? I'm sorry, I..."

"no, no, it's okay." He reached his hand to yours, gripping it in tight fingers. "besides, i always had Papyrus and now i have my new family with Frisk and the others." 

"That's.. yeah. Good." You stared at your snow-coated feet, having stilled. A sadness churned inside you. "I know what it's like. To.. lose someone. I'm sorry."

"..." He exhaled. "it was an accident. don't worry about it."

"Can... I ask what they were like? Your parents."

"oh, well... it's hard to remember, you know? i don't know if i ever really had a... mother." His voice cracked. You dropped down to hold your arms around him. "but i know... i sort of remember my dad. he was a scientist, and... there was an accident, that's all i really remember. it's hard when there's so much that happened. if there's a past, i can't remember it..."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," you hushed his oncoming sobs. "I shouldn't have asked. I just. Relate, you know? I lost my best friend not too long ago, and it kills me inside." You pressed your lips softly to his temple.

"s-sorry for your loss... it sucks to see a force of good in your life go away..."

"Yeah." Shit when did this become so cheesy and sad? You were such a sap for families that you couldn't help yourself. "Hey, hey, don't... don't cry, Sans. Let me tell you something that I heard from some wise people." You took a breath and steadied yourself. "Life doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints. It takes, and it takes, and it takes, but in return, it gave you something pretty great, right?" He nodded, rubbing a palm to wipe away a fallen tear. "And if there's a reason we're still alive when someone we love has died, then, shouldn't we wait for it?"

"t' find out what it is?"

"Yes, exactly. It's like the first law of thermodynamics! Energy can't be created or destroyed, but it can change from one form to another. So... think of it like... he's not really gone. His love, his energy, it's still here. It still exists. It's in the wind and the trees and inside of you, Sans." You poked a finger into his chest to drive the point home.

"wise words..." He smirked, chuckling stiffly. "th..thanks."

...Who knew that a phone call with your dad would reveal something like that to you? Huh. You hugged him tight, thoughts of family parallels flying through your mind. Deep unbreakable attachments to siblings. Fathers. Found family. And... loss. Though for you it was.. different, loss is loss and his arms were around you as well and the cold chilled you to your roots and a fire

a warm fire

some good food

some good friends

some good family

seemed to be

the best thing you could do for him right now.

You shut your eyes and sighed into him. The cold turned into heat at your back, fire crackling, conversation bubbling. "There's no replacing what you lost," you murmured, pulling back from him, looking around to spot a few members of your family wandering through the lobby. Paul stood at the window, craning his neck, looking for you. "But... you can always be a part of my family, too."

"you're gonna make me cry again, kid."

"Yeah, you're welcome. Dad, yo!" You called to him. He whirled around, his face twisted in confusing and apprehension.

"Wha- how the-?"

"they took a shortcut," Sans interrupted. He broke from your hug and walked over. "heya. i'm Sans. Sans the skeleton." He stuck a hand out. "nice to meet ya."

"Oh, uh, you've gotta be the other one's brother... yeah.." Paul took Sans's wrist in his hand and shook.

"...why'd you do that?"

"Habit. Making sure you don't have anything up your sleeve." Paul's tone was hard. 

"Ugh, dad, don't be like that," you groaned. 

"Sorry, sorry," he relented, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Anyway. Jo and... Pot-pie-rus?"

"Papyrus."

"Right. They said some things and I'm holding a family meeting. So go do what you need to and get back down here tomorrow morning at oh-eight-hundred on the dot. Got it?"

"Aye aye, captain," you muttered. The look on his face intimidated you, and Sans's shoulders stiffened defensively.

_What the fuck did you say to dad? He looks kind of pissed._

_Uhm. About that..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit jo what the fuck did you say to dad


	12. It's a Secret to, Well, Nobody, Now.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goooooood morning darlings and gentle darlings! Welcome to the family meeting where you could literally not care any less about who knows and who doesn't. Hope you're ready for a lot of questions and a lot less answers! *throws confetti everywhere*  
> Today's special guests will be: Sans and Papyrus, Mettaton the very rich popular and sexy robot, and your undying love for root beer flavored candies. Special thanks to the producer and a loving shout-out to the viewers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> of course  
> of course she'd fucking go and do this  
> right? right. but whatever. you're better than her at this whole magic thing anyway. she can hardly teleport without the help of a monster's magic. you got this.
> 
> longer chapter today because i am filled with determination. btw the skeleton butt thing is a reference to a very nice fic that i read called Story That Might Happen You Date Sans by bibliomaniac it is very good and i highly suggest you read it if you are not already

"do you want me to be there?"

"You probably should, considering you're the one who's... 'training' me, or whatever." You stabbed a fork angrily into a steamed carrot. Sans sat back in the chair, reaching over to crank up the heat in the room. You had ordered room service to avoid being anywhere near your sister, who had attempted to teleport, and succeeded! But had ended up right in front of a group of the parents, subsequently freaking everyone out and her magic running amok. Of course, everyone was like, okay, just play it cool, don't let the other one in on anything, that's why your dad sounded the way he did, right? He was trained for this. He was able to take control of a situation when things went wrong. You knitted your brows, chewing thoughtfully on the poor, innocent carrot. What did it ever do to you?

"alright. i'll be there. but what about Papyrus?" He was currently tending to a bottle of ketchup. You briefly wondered how the kitchen would react to seeing a full ketchup bottle be emptied by the time it was returned. "hey, come back to earth, ----." In your ire, you had found yourself levitating several feet off the ground (bed).

"No. I like it up here. I don't have to face my responsibilities if I'm going to space."

"you're under a mountain."

"DON'T USE LOGIC ON ME!" This time, the victim was a potato. "Honestly! She could have! I don't know! Asked me! For help! I'm obviously better at this than SHE is!!"

_ Okay, I can hear you, you know. _

"Shut up, Jocelyn." You put up a mental barrier to keep her out of your head.

"wait, so you're not mad that she ended up blowing your secret to your entire family?"

"No! I'm really not! I'm mad because she missed the fucking landing! She could have gotten herself hurt! And never mind what happened to Papyrus in all that! Actually, I changed my mind, I'm mad that she hurt Papyrus." Sans winced.

"yeah, okay, i'll give you that." Papyrus was currently being held in the nurses station for a few bruised bones. "he's tough, but magic can really hurt if it's used improperly."

"Exactly," you sighed, crossing your legs under you. "At least she didn't mean it... I'll give her that much... Things hurt a LOT MORE-" get rekt, tofu "-when you mean to hurt someone."

"intent to harm can kill a monster." He took a careful sip of the ketchup. "you don't plan on taking your anger out on anything other than your dinner, right?" He flashed a nervous look.

"Wha? No. Of course not. I might be mad at her, but I wouldn't lash out on you, or even really her, for that matter. I might punch her later, but..." You rolled your hand in a dismissive fashion. "I don't like the thought of hurting people. Or monsters, for that matter. I got bullied a lot as a kid and would rather not inflict that upon others."

"no appetite for pain, eh?" The laugh that erupted from your lungs made the bite of food go down the wrong tube. You coughed, hitting your chest a few times. "aw, don't get all choked up over me."

"I-" COUGH "-am going to kill you." You cleared your throat and placed the fork down (it fell to the floor). You stared down at it for a second, lips taut but pulling a little at the corners. You blinked a few times, then said, "You know, there are some videos of astronauts from when they come back from orbit," you twirled a finger around to signify the spinning of the earth. "And since they're so used to things just floating off a few inches when they let go of it, they do the same thing on earth, and it just falls to the floor, like that."

"guess they don't understand the gravity of the situation?" He leaned forward and winked up at you. 

"...I'm sending that joke to NASA."

"yeah, i thought it was na'sa bad myself." 

"Shit, seriously, you're," you could feel yourself choking again, your throat still a bit raw. But you laughed anyway. Any tenseness Sans had was melting away. A vague yet menacing parental threat about the oncoming family meeting about your newly found magic powers had caused him to almost get into a fist fight with your father. But you had VERY QUICKLY, using your wit and cunning, diverted the train of conversation to avoid causing any casualties. Meaning you had literally pushed Sans away from your dad, saying something about being hungry. You sighed, coming back down to level with him.

"the ----- has landed!" He made a rah-ing noise, clapping. 

"God, you're such a dork, Sans." You bent down, reaching to grab the fork... which wasn't there? You sat back up and saw him twirling it between his fingers. "Oh, hey, thanks-" You outstretched your arm. He pulled away from you.

"what, you think i'm just gonna let you  _have_ it?"

"Yes because I  _thought_ you were nice and wanted to let me eat."

"you have fingers."

"I- stop teasing me and give me my fork back!"

"fork? what fork?" It had vanished, much to your chagrin. Sans held a smug grin on his face, cheekbones pushing up into his eyes.

"Wh- you-" Your mouth hung open in, well, you don't know what, absurd amusement? "...Fork you."

"oh, did i make it disappear too spoon?" You groaned, putting the plate aside, and standing. You jerked Sans out of the chair, pushing his laughing ass (do skeletons have asses? In your experience, the answer was no, but you couldn't account for all skeletons, and OKAY ENOUGH OF THIS) towards the door.

"Alright time for you to go, knife to meat you."

"guess i'll see you ladle?!" He was nearly doubling over, hollering with laughter. You, of course, couldn't help but laugh along with him. 

"Okay, okay," you took in a deep breath, calming yourself. "Let's simmer down, now."

A pause.

And then laughter again. It took more than a couple of minutes for the both of you to catch your breaths. This... was nice. The two of you together, laughing like you had known each other for years. Even nicer now that you could actually really see him and not just a blurry outline of him. Glasses are a wonderful invention yes.

"But, no, actually... I should probably get some sleep. I gotta be up super early tomorrow..."

"aw, don't want me keeping you up all night again?" 

"As much as I'd love th-aahh heeyyy," you muttered in protest when he leaned into you, face in your neck and hands groping your ass. "No, no, bad skeleton,  _bad."_

"okay, okay..." But he didn't move.

"Sans."

"hm?"

"I'm officially evicting you from the room so I can go to bed."

"damn." You kissed his skull. "guess i'll go catch some z's myself."

"Do you need a net for that?" He chuckled. "I'd love for you to stay, but I know if I let you, you'd just keep me up all night and I don't know when or if Jo or Barry will be coming back to the room."

"guess i should put a cork in it, then?"

"Again with the kitchen utensil puns, I can't believe you." You shoved him out of your arms.

"i think i'm kitchen a pun fever." Wink.

"LEAVE!"

* * *

 

You never did find out where that fork went. The room was warm, comfortable, and... lonely. The light of your phone illuminated in the darkness, vibrating with a notification. A text!! ...Or not. Just stupid social media informing you that it was someone's birthday. 

"Not like she's alive to celebrate it anyway," you spat at it. After the death of your best friend, no one had taken up to deleting her account. It was maybe a bit too painful, but the reminders that came from her page were also painful. Maybe even more painful than getting rid of it entirely. You chucked the phone across the room, digging your head under a pillow. You didn't want to be sad. You had a good day. You forced yourself to be happy, even when you didn't want to be. Anyway. Enough sad stuff. You started counting down, rubbing your legs against the inside of your pajama pants.

500... 499... 498... 496... 495... 494... 493... 492... 491... 490... 489... 488... 487... 486... 485...484... 483... 482... 481... 480... 479... 478... 477.. 476... 474.... 473... 472... 471... 470... 469.. 468.. 467.. 466.. 465.. 464.. 463.. 462.. 461.. 460.. 459.. 458.. 457.. 456.. 455.. 454.. 453.. 452.. 451.. 450.. 449. 448. 447. 446. 445. 444. 443. 44 2. 44 1 4 4 0 4 3 9..................

* * *

 

It was a rather restless night. Though, you found when you awoke, both Barry and Jo had returned. Barry had left the television on, like a jerk, and on it was playing some re-run of a show pre-barrier. You reached for your phone to see what time it was, but remembered you had thrown it earlier. Cursing yourself silently, you went to crawl out of bed when something on the screen caught your eye.

Was that... Frisk? And they're fighting... Mettaton? You had seen him loads of time on television before, and his popularity had followed him out of the Underground. Boy, was he larger than life. You still wondered how the heck a guy like Papyrus would ever get with Mettaton... but that was a question that is better left unanswered for now. You turned the screen off, cutting out with a buzz. Silence once again filled the room. 

The weight of... something sagged your shoulders down. The darkness of the room was repressive. You wandered over to about where you thought the phone had landed, snatched it up, and looked at the screen. You still had a couple of hours... Your head ached, but you knew that with your sleep issues, you wouldn't be able to nap off the oncoming headache. You stuffed your phone into your pocket, found your slippers, and then headed out into the hallway. The difference in lighting neither helped the throbbing nor the weight on your shoulders. It seemed to drip down your back like sweat. Maybe you're just being paranoid, but you felt like you were being watched again.

With slow, heavy steps that echoed when they shouldn't, you made towards the elevator. Each step had more and more weight to it, like bricks, like anvils, until you could feel your knees sinking to the floor, your head drowning in pain. You shut your eyes, brain swarming and buzzing. You grunted, swatting away the noises.

 _Pop!_  Glass shattered. You looked up and saw the light bulbs aglow in a deep raisin color. "Shhhit, n-no-" Pop! Another. All along the hall, the lights shattered and glass rained down on your head. You ducked under your arms for protection. It was dark again. Dark. Darker. Yet darker.

You couldn't even see your hands in front of you, or feel your legs beneath. Movements slow and numb, like wading through sand. You tried to illuminate in front of you with your magic, but nothing came. You felt your soul tugging itself out of you.

"No, no, you stay in there-!" It felt like something was coming. Your soul flew out, its wispy form quickly being devoured by the blackness. You choked, trying to reach after it, but it felt like you were bound by the chains of night. Help, help!

_Jo, please, help! I can't... I... I'm..._

It felt like your thoughts were being blocked, or eaten, either way, static pushed itself into your head. You couldn't see. You couldn't breathe. You couldn't move. Your soul was gone and everything hurt. Pain stabbed through you, causing you to take a sharp breath and sit up-!

...

..and...

it... it was... hah... it was a dream... shit, haha.. 

The bed, the room, was empty. Though, you weren't quite sure if you were still dreaming or not. 

_Jo, are you up?_

_Hhhhhhhnnnnoooooooo go away I sleepy nowwww._

Well, that answered one question. She was probably asleep with someone else. The television wasn't on, that was for sure. You curled your fingers in and out, touching nail to palm. You're okay. It's just a magic thing. You wished you were with Sans so he could explain. Or with anyone who could explain. Or anywhere but here, right now. You felt sticky with sweat and got out of bed to turn off the heat, figuring now is as good a time as any to take a shower. Ugh. Maybe magic wasn't so great after all, you thought, stripping your pajamas off. If it causes night terrors like that. You folded them up and stepped towards the bathroom, dropping them off in the closet with the other dirty clothing first. Throwing your phone did actually happen, though, so you went to pick it up. You looked down on it and checked the time. It was about quarter to seven, so.. not up too early. You shot Sans a text.

"hey, had a really weird dream... felt more like a nightmare actually, is that normal?"

You entered the bathroom, its cool tile sending a little relief through you. You ran the water, keeping it on the cool end, and showered relatively quickly. You heard your phone buzzing on the counter when you shut the water off. Not a text or notification buzz, but like, someone was calling you buzz. You dried your hands and one side of your face before reaching over to answer.

"Hello?"

"hey." Sans' voice washed over you. You felt like you could breathe again. "are you okay?"

"I'm fine... it was just a nightmare. You didn't have to call."

"i wanted to."

"That's... really sweet of you, Sans. Can you hold up one second? I just got out of the shower."

"sexy." You blew a raspberry at him and set the phone aside, drying the rest of your body before returning to it. 

"Alright, I'm back."

"tell me about your nightmare?" You swear, the way he asked that made you imagine him twirling a phone cord around his finger... laying on a bed, all alone, in nothing but a t-shirt and... ENOUGH OF THIS WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??? Guy shows you concern and all you can think about is him being sexy, jesus. Get a grip. You sighed and flopped down onto the bed.

"I dunno, Sans, it was just... it isn't that big of a deal."

"it is to me. some nightmares are normal when magical powers are developing, and some aren't. and i care about you, so tell me about it."

"You couldn't have said that in the first place?" You heard the rumple of shrugging fabric on the other end. "Alright. Well." You rubbed your temple a bit with your free hand. "It... okay, it was like I was waking up normally, right? And..." You gave him as much detail as you could, constantly questioning yourself in the meanwhile. 

"...uh, well, okay, that... was interesting but not a bad nightmare," he sighed, relieved. "if it had been something like your magic attacking you, then that'd be bad."

"Yikes. I thought it was bad enough on its own... can't imagine how painful it'd be if it'd attacked me." You tittered awkwardly. You heard him stifling a yawn. "Oh, jeez, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your sleep..."

"nah, i was up anyway, i can't sleep some nights. besides, i would've gotten up for you no matter what."

"Awh, Sans..."

"i don't have the heart to leave you hanging like that, babe."

"I retract my previous awwing." He guffawed through the speaker. "Why don't you try to get a nap in?"

"sounds like a good deal. i'll see you later."

"Yeah. Later." You held yourself back from saying the automatic 'I love you' that you usually say when on the phone with anyone, because that's weird to say to someone who you only just started... you didn't even know what to call it. Seeing? Dating? Hooking up with?

"are we playing the 'who's gonna hang up first' game? because i'm pretty good at winning."

"Ah, no, I just, thought you were going to hang up? People usually do after saying goodbye."

"i didn't say goodbye."

"You said you'd see me later."

"that's not saying goodbye. that's saying i'll see you later."

"To humans that speak informal English, such as I, it is seen as a goodbye."

"do you want me to say goodbye?"

"No, I prefer 'see you later' because that's how it's supposed to go. I'll see you again. Goodbyes are too permanent." You sighed. "Why are we still going on like this?"

"because i think both of us want to say something that is a bit touchy." Ooh, just stab you right in the gut, why doesn't he?

"...Bit on the nose, don't you think?" You bit your lip. "Maybe... we're not ready to say it."

"doesn't make me want to say it any less though, 'cause i do, i feel that way, and maybe it's rushing it a little, but it'd be true. what about you?"

"Hhahhh... what about me, indeed..." A low chuckle rose in your throat, but you swallowed it down. Do you love him? Well, maybe, yes, you do, and love comes in a lot of forms and there's definitely romance between you, and maybe it would turn into platonic love which would be cool too? "I guess I do, I'd mean it, yeah."

"so...what's the big deal, then?" You gulped. "are you nervous that i'm gonna say something different?"

"N-no, I mean, I hadn't thought of that possibility?" Your voice was raising in nervousness. "But now that you mention it, yes!!"

"heh... you're cute, -----."

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!"

"i'm not. i'm just saying it's cute that you'd think i'd say anything other than i love you."

shit godamn he said it fucking shit god oh man he said it you were always such a hopeless romantic and falling in love way too easily with too many people but maybe that was inherited too but now all you saw in your head was Sans and he just fucking said he loved you what the fuck it's usually you who blurts it out too soon but now here you are, heart palpitating and phone slipping out of your hand and you can hear him saying your name through the receiver and you're sliding off the bed, face steaming and lips mumbling "oh my god I cannot BELIEVE!!"

"hello? uh..." You reached back up to the phone and pulled it to your face.

"Sans."

"are you okay..?"

"I love you, too."

A moment of silence.

"Can you-?"

"there in a sec."

* * *

 

You picked out the longest sleeved, most turtle of necked shirts you could find between the three siblings clothing. You would need it, after the marks he just left on you. Sans had dressed using the power of magic, the jerk, leaving you to find ways to cover- holy shit, he REALLY got you. You would need to cover that up with makeup. After preparing yourself, insisting that yes, turtlenecks and shorts with boots are totally cute and you can wear what you want you headed out of the room. 

_ Yo leave the door unlocked I'm on my way to change. _

_Kay. You're gonna be late, though._

_ I know.  
_

You saw her turning the corner, jogging past you, slowing for a second to give you a one over, then continuing down.

_ Ya missed a spot. _

"Shit!" You whirled around and gave her the finger. "Thanks!"

"Yup!" 

"you guys are so weird..." Sans shook his head with a laugh and pushed the button for the elevator. It took a few seconds for it to come. You stepped in, looking into the reflective metal, unable to find the spot that you had supposedly missed. "should i hold it here for her?"

"Nah, she's gonna probably shower first, let's just go." He pressed for the lobby, the door dinged, and you got to enjoy the same elevator music as always while being self conscious about your neck and ears and jaw. 

"hey, i don't know if it makes a difference, but you look great to me." And now you were blushing which made you curl up into your sweater and pull it over your head to cover your face. "...----?"

"----- isn't here, they're in sweater town." The elevator dinged again and your head popped out of the sweater so you could, you know, see on your way into the lobby.

"welcome back, how was sweater town?"

"Warm and stuffy." 

The lobby was empty, except for the few members of your family that had already gathered by the fireplace. Paul and Trish, Haley, Nate, Jeremy, Zane, Aron, Emily, Elizabeth, Jody... the other twins and the triplets were missing, along with your sister, and you assumed that they'd all be here fairly soon or the wrath of dad would fall upon them. The couches and ottomans had been rearranged into a semicircle, with two chairs in its focus. You stopped, feeling yourself clenching in nervousness. What the fuck kind of interrogative techniques....

"hey, don't worry, i'll be right there if anything happens." Paul spotted you and pointed, turning his finger upwards and curling it inwards. 

"Oh, geez..." You inhaled and walked rather stiffly, like your joints had been glued together, to the circle of doom.

"Sit," he ordered, pointing to the chairs. You obeyed.

"Paul, calm down, they're not in trouble." Jody touched his shoulder. He relaxed a little.

"Yeah, it's just-"

"It's not as if they're war prisoners." He only nodded, giving you an apologetic look. You were still sweating, glancing over to Sans. He only gave you a patient smile. Weird how you could tell what his expression was without any skin. Soon, Papyrus was at his side, giving you a bandaged thumbs up. You could only muster a very small, if unenthusiastic, grin. You felt like you were gonna throw up, so you bent your head between your knees and took some deep breaths.

After about ten or so minutes like that, you heard Jo take her place next to you. You looked up, and she patted you on the back. Someone clapped.

"Alright, everybody, time for the family meeting! Today's topic of concern: the eldest." Oh no. A new wave of nausea swept over you. "So, yesterday, Jocelyn here did something very particular and appeared to us- quite literally- out of nowhere." Your dad gestured to her. "With her friend, the skeleton. Now, I have nothing against monsters, but that got me on the defensive." 

"I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE, HUMANS. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ONLY WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND! AND FRIENDS DON'T SCARE EACH OTHER. UNLESS YOU'RE MY BROTHER, WHO LOVES PRANKING PEOPLE ACROSS TIME AND SPACE." He gestured to Sans, who waved with a small 'yo'. He wasn't even going to defend that fucking-

"Right. Anyway. Moving on. Almost an hour afterwards," your dad slapped a hand on the back of your chair, causing you to jump, "THIS ONE did the same thing, only, none of you were around to see it and even I didn't notice, so, I mean, maybe they snuck in! ....I had a point."

_How are you staying calm???_

_I'm not hahah the receptionist is currently floating because of me._

You realized that the receptionist, was, in fact, hovering but no one else seemed to notice. They clung to the counter for dear life.

"Oh yeah, my point is- just how long have you two been hiding this from us?"

"Yeah, we're family, you should have told us right away," Aron chipped in.

"woah, hey, they only just discovered this," Sans appeared at your side in defense. 

"Now isn't the best time, babe," you grumbled.

"Babe?" Jo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that's fucking classic."

"Watch your language, young lady," you heard Jody say. She muttered and apology.

"no, this is exactly the time," Sans snapped. "i'd like to apologize. it's partially my fault that it was kept hidden from you all, and i know just how much ---- and Jo love you all, so... i'll let them explain how it came about, and my part to play in it."

"That is very noble of you, Sans," Haley said proudly.

"Yo where'd you learn to say that, all of a sudden?" Eddy high-fived her.

"Harry Potter."

"Oh my god my family is full of nerds," you lowered your head again, this time into your palms.

"Enough, enough!" Paul silenced the oncoming chatter. "So. Explain."

"Well-" Jo started, hesitating. "It was kind of weird? Um, -----, help me out here," she nudged your knee with hers.

"What am I supposed to say? It was like the end of the second day, or something, we both got really awful headaches and Sans said something about my eyes being purple?!"

"Oh, yeah, would you look at that," Ashley pointed out. "How did we not notice that before?" Carl shrugged.

"I assumed it was color contacts."

"But then why would they still wear glasses?"

"GUYS WE'RE TRYING TO EXPLAIN A THING CAN YA LET A GUY FINISH?!" Your voice boomed out, silencing them.

_ They're so rude. _

_Right?_

"There! Right there! Your eyes flashed! What was that!!" Kevin jumped up out of his seat, pointing an accusatory finger at the two of you.

"Telepathy," you answered simultaneously. 

"That's so cool!"

"Yeah, neat!"

"Can you do it with anyone else?"

"...We honestly haven't tried," Jo shrugged after a quick glance at you. "But maybe now isn't the best time to do that?"

"Seriously."

"And just what else can you guys do?"

"Well-" you looked up to Sans, whose hand gripped at your shoulder. "Sans, lighten up a bit? That hurts."

"yeah, sorry," he jerked it away. "just show 'em everything, why the he- why the heck not."

"Ah, this is where he comes in to explain. See, Sans seems to think that we'll cause the next great war because we can do magic while, it seems, no one else in the family can." In the corner of your eye, you noticed Trish slinking away. "HEY!" You pointed a finger at her. "Stop right there!" She turned her head. "Where do you think YOU'RE going, huh, mom?"

"Oh.. just a bit thirsty, gonna get a drink...."

"Nuh-uhh," you held her from moving, a light purple haze surrounding her. "If we gotta get interrogated, you gotta sit through it too."

"No using magic on family members!" You dropped it, staring daggers at her. 

"But they do have a point, ma," one of the triplets pointed out. "You started leaving as soon as they said..."

"Don't tell me you, can, too?"

"No, no!" She raised her hands defensively. "I absolutely can not, otherwise, I would have by now. It's..." Trish sighed. "Complicated."

"your family have a history of magic users?" She nodded, meekly. "well, i guess we can save that story for another time, if you're all going to finish up the previous conversation?"

"Yea! Show us more magic!" Nate bounced excitedly on the couch.

"We don't even know everything we can do." Jo slumped back against the chair. "And even then, ---- can do more than I can. Or at least, do it better."

"Well, that's only because I had Sans to show me while you were goofing off with his brother."

"IT IS PERFECTLY FINE FOR SOMEONE TO TAKE A BREAK EVERY NOW AND AGAIN! I AM SURPRISED MY BROTHER SHOWED YOU ANYTHING, ACTUALLY..." Sans stiffened even further. 

"Are you a little board there, hon?"

......

And laughter swept through everyone, except Papyrus, who only looked annoyed at the pun. Sans instantly relaxed.

"i wish you wood stop that." He patted a hand on your shoulder, your face spreading in a grin.

A few more puns got tossed around before you both finished explaining: you could probably do a lot, but have no idea the extent of your powers. Of course, the kids asked if you could teach them- but it's not that easy, is it? Sans confirmed, no, not unless they start showing signs, then you probably couldn't other than the soul thing. The soul thing? Oh yeah everyone can take out their soul but we shouldn't show them that either. Yeah, they could get hurt... Maybe some other day. Well, what about yours? What about ours? BEAR US YOUR SOULS!!! Uh, no, especially not after that. AW BUT HUMANS YOURS LOOK SO COOL! Yeah but- yeah, paps, they probably shouldn't, and that was the end of that discussion, turning back to Trish. 

She explained that she knew about some of her family members, generations ago, having been two of the seven sorcerers, and, haha, guess what they were twins, too! Well how do you really know they were your family? Journals, trees, pictures, paintings... I did a lot of research in college on this, 's why I'm a history teacher, she had said. man, Toriel would love her, Sans said as an aside to you. You agreed. So now that kind of makes sense, your ancestors could use magic, but why, after what, three? Four hundred years? Would you and Jo, of everyone, get the magic? Well that's the real mystery, and soon the party broke off into their own conspiracy theories about the two of you. Papyrus threw in his own little theory, which, while interesting, wasn't something worth repeating. And then he called up his boyfriend, who, in turn, talked to you on speakerphone about making a movie about it. ...it's a little early for that, isn't it? Yeah it's not even break fast time. Okay, fine, Mettaton begrudgingly agreed, but he would LOVE to meet you! Humans, using magic! Wow!!!

Wow, indeed. Your head swam. You reached to Sans, who immediately grabbed onto your hand.

"too much?" Nod. "do you need to get out of here?" Nod. "and Jo?" You looked to her, who looked just about as done with this. Nod. "alright. 'scuse me, Paul, but i think they're a little... overwhelmed. anything else you need the family to know?"

"No, I guess that's good for now," he sounded as shaky as you. Yay for inheriting agoraphobia, too! "Just, talk to us, okay?" This was directed at you and your twin. "We're a family. We're supposed to share things like this, especially if it's hurting you."

"Ohwellinthatcase," you choked, "I'm da- can I call it that?" Sans gave a curt nod. "I'm dating him."

"...How does that work?" Your dad shook his head, closing his eyes. "Nevermind, I probably don't want to know. You're dismissed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i usually don't make it past 350 on my sleep countdown.
> 
> also if the conversation seems confusing it's because i made it like that on purpose. big family makes big ruckus. you don't always know who's talking.


	13. Upstaged by an Overglorified Vending Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Needless to say, you don't like Mettaton that much. More singing! More dancing! More drama, more romance! And your sister falls in love with the fucking robot god damn it Jo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING  
> this is all just like i want to put in a lot of cute family fluff and a lot of overenthusiastic new lovers and some sibling rivalry stuff and boy this is a mess im sorry

A glass of orange juice, two oversized pancakes, and some quiet time helped you calm down a bit. Normally, you would have been able to handle that, but the noise... the questions... just... too much ok too much no no no

"I'm sorry," came the quiet voice of Jo from across the table. "I shouldn't have done that without your help. You're way better at this than I am, and now..." She sighed, sinking further into the seat. "Well," she laughed harshly, "at least something good came out of it."

"Hey, no, sis-" You kicked yourself. "Don't... don't be like that. It's not like they hate us or anything and... well this is more than likely gonna turn out okay. I think dad just... was overreacting." She grumbled, flipping her hood up. "B-besides! We still have a whole two days here! Let's forget about this whole kerfuffle and just... have fun on our vacation, alright?"

"...I guess...." She poked at a breakfast sausage. 

"scoot over." You moved aside to allow Sans to sit next to you. He had gotten.... a hot dog. Probably from his stand. "what's with sad, dark, and gruesome over there?"

"Sad, dark, and gruesome has the ability to hear," Jo snipped. 

"yikes, someone's feeling a bit-"

"I don't need you telling me how  _I_ feel!" She shot up. You noticed her eyes were not only aflame in lilac, but... they were lined with dark circles.

"Jo... did you sleep at all last night?"

"Yes!" She crossed her arms. "I don't see what that has to do with anything!"

"You look like you haven't slept in days... did you have any weird dreams, or...?" By the lack of her response and the way she was averting your gaze, you assumed the answer was yes. You sent her a mental image of bits of your dream. "Anything like that?"

"More like exactly like that."

"...I see. I'm sorry, I... should have been there for you." 

"I was the one who didn't come back to the room and slept with the twins. Plus, Papyrus is up really early, so... he helped."

"Oh?" You grinned slyly, leaning in. "Helped.... how?"

"He- uh-" her face started turning a shade of scarlet. "Well! He's a pretty good life coach! And a pretty great hugger... too..." She faltered, seeing the look on your face. Choking up when she saw the look on Sans's face.

"ew, gross, that's my brother." 

"HAH!"

"You LITERALLY just had sex with my sibling this morning."

"guilty as charged."

"OH my god," you giggled, clutching at your stomach.

"I bet he heard a LOT of that last night." Jo opened her mouth in a wide smile, winking badly.

And, like that, you two had made up. It's how it always went. Arguments and bad feelings were short-lived between the two of you. Breakfast came to an end without much of a problem. You stopped to stare at a cork board with items about the activities going on around the resort pinned up on it. One in particular caught your eye.

"Hold up!" You snatched Jo by the sleeve of her shirt, causing her to stop. "Look at that."

"Another karaoke night?"

"No, this is like, an actual, legitimate singing contest... for money prizes!" The poster, printed on pink paper with a poorly rendered picture of the resort stage, read:

TONIGHT!!!

COME SHOW OFF YOUR SINGING TALENTS!!!

WINNERS, DECLARED BY AUDIENCE VOTING, WIN THE FOLLOWING PRIZES!!!

FIRST PLACE: 1500 G AND A FREE THREE-NIGHT STAY!!!

SECOND PLACE: 500 G AND A FREE TWO-NIGHT STAY!!!

THIRD PLACE: 100 G AND NOTHING.

SIGN UPS CLOSE AFTER THE LUNCH BUFFET IS SERVED!!!

(SO HURRY!!!)

"Whaaaat!"

"I mean, we'd have no use for the gold outside of the Underground, but..."

"go for it. you guys are really good. i think you could win it." Jo punched him lovingly in the shoulder.

"Well, make sure you and your bro vote for us, then!"

"Wait. What about Liz and Em? They'd probably love to join this..."

"Hm. Good point." You put a finger to your lips, tapping your foot. "They're already farther than you in the industry though, so-?"

"Yeah, let's not tell 'em."

* * *

 

After signing up, the three of you went off to do your own things. Sans did have a job to do, after all, and Jo decided to stick around with you after having been separated for as long as you had. Though, that didn't last long, either, because she got roped into taking care of the youngest. And despite all of her pleading, no, you were not going to do that.

No, you, you were going to practice while you had time. Snow crunched under your boot, echoing between the few trees. Not many people (or monsters, for that matter) were around, as you had gone off far enough to be away from the public eye. Now, being a magician, you knew that every act needed flare. Sure, things glowing purple was cool, and pretty easy to do, but you wanted lights! So, with a few moments of concentration, you managed to make sparkly, almost blacklight-ish twinkles with your magic. Now, they need to move around, like fairies! Or explode outward! Good, great, you're getting somewhere!

...But your creativity was failing you, here. What else, what else?! Telekinesis. Yeah. that's a good practice. You made a line of snowballs, practicing lifting them up, throwing them high in the air. Nice, okay, good, but... lacking. You threw a bunch against a tree, making them explode outwards, using that touch of sparkly flair. Oooh. You were no Criss Angel, who was a total fraud anyway, but he was famous, and you were not, and you had ACTUAL magic at your disposal. Keeping this in mind, you kept lifting bigger and bigger snowballs and throwing them until you were exhausted. It was like working out, but without moving around so much. Give your arm a twist, a flick of the wrist, that's what the showman said oh I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts-

The groan of tree branches snapping caught your attention. You quickly glanced up, seeing an immense amount of snow falling from what had caught between them... oh no. You threw your arms up defensively, not thinking to run, and you heard it hit.. but... you... were... fine?? Blinking, you slowly moved your arms... seeing a thin, almost transparent veil of purple hovering above you, with snow sliding of the sides of it.

"Sheeeiiiilllld," you said, amused. You moved it back and forth like a sliding door, shaking off the excess snow like it was nothing. Being silly, you posed with it in front of you, letting out a battle cry. And then you were like, okay, this is neat and all, but can I make a weapon, too? And that's when your shield changed shape, quickly shooting into the forest and causing a far-off explosion. 

"...Well that was fun I'm out of here!" And you popped outta there like no one's business. You ended up over by the slopes. Great, exactly not where you wanted to go. There were still quite a few kinks to work out. You noticed a few people pointing out to where you were, seeing smoke rising out of the treetops. Well... shit. Not doing THAT ever again. Embarrassed, you spun on your heel, face hiding in the hood of your coat. Act natural. Act natural and no one will think it's you. Act- oh hey is that Sans?

It was! And he had a line. Yeesh, people really liked their stuffed meat cases. You wandered over yonder, taking place in line seven monsters deep. You could hear him at the front, using what you call a 'customer' voice. It wasn't as low or gravelly, and really rather peppy. It made you gag. After memorizing his spiel from three people, you started mockingly saying it in a funny voice to yourself. "Welcome to Sans's 'Dogs. Yeah, that's apostrophe-dog, short for hot dog, but not short on service!" Followed by a short, quick chuckle. It was honestly sweet and every single customer thought it was funny, like they had never heard it before. You glanced behind you. Oh, good, no one was behind you in line, you could distract the hell out of him for a few minutes. You stepped up to the plate.

"oh, hey, -----, what are you doing here?"

"Cut the customer tone, Sans."

"...ugh, sorry, it just kind of gets ingrained in you after a while, yanno?"

"Trust me, many nights of cold calling have me very familiarized with it." You leaned on the counter, noticing his shirt. It was different than his usual turtleneck- it was a screen-printed tee with an image of, well, a hot dog. "Nice shirt. I think it'd look better on my floor, though."  

"ffffft, nice one, ya big flirt. guess you can't keep your hands off of me, huh...?" He shadowed your movements, leaning in close enough for your faces to touch. Your fingers crept over the counter to meet his in the middle, intertwining together. "so... are you the one who's responsible for that explosion earlier?"

"Uh. Haha. Maybe?"

"no one was hurt, right?"

"...Not to my knowledge. Might have hurt a few trees, but they'll be fine. Besides," you smirked, "Just shows how smokin' I am."

"ooooh, that one was bad." Sans  _was_ laughing though, so you counted it as a success. "but you're not  _bad_ are you...?" The way his voice dropped sent shivers ricocheting through your spine. 

"H-huh, I think I could be... considering I'm distracting you from your work..." An icy blue magical breath steamed out from between his teeth, creeping into the crevasses of your shirt. You shivered again.

"heh... am i chilling you down to the bone, babe? i can warm you up..."

"B-buh.. but you're... working..."

"didn't i tell you i was my own boss? i make my own breaks."

"...Fuck, you did," you had temporarily forgotten. "Well go on break and break me, already!" Sans pulled away from you, shoving a "back in whenever" sign onto the counter, hopped over it, and took you into his arms before, well. 

You know.

* * *

 

You had to admit, it did give you a bit more practice in teleportation, but man, you were pretty sure your hips would be bruised forever after a bout like that. Sadly, though, he had to take his leave again for work, leaving you to your own devices. Which normally would have meant sticking around and napping, but uh. Yeah, not in the cold.

(awkward cough)

So, after regaining your composure, and pants, you took a look through your phone. 28 text messages and two missed calls... From Jo. She was desperate for your help and can't handle your siblings on her own, it appeared. And she was mildly freaked out that you had blocked her out mentally for so long. 

_Clingy, much?_

_HELP_

_...Be there in a sec..._

Oh, boy, was this a mess. Haley ran in front of you, skidding to a stop. "Magic!!" Her delighted squeal made you grin.

"Magic?" Nate and Jeremy turned their attention away from dogpiling atop your sister.

"Yeah, magic," you swept Haley up into your arms. "Oof, you're gettin' pretty heavy, kiddo. Why don't I lighten you up a bit?" Using the skills from your earlier practice, because wow you were really getting the hang of it, you lifted her up into the air, her giggles chiming and charming your brothers. 

"Higher, higher!" She insisted. 

"Can't go any higher than the ceiling, Hale." You lowered her gently to the ground. Nate and Jeremy had gotten into a bit of a spat, arguing over whose turn would be next, the smaller of the two using a pouty face, the bigger insisting that oldest goes first. "Well, if that's the case, then wouldn't Jo be next?" Their jaws dropped.

"NO FAIIIIRRR!"

"Yeah, she can use magic too!" You glanced around them to see her still on the ground, panting, just giving you a thumbs up and weak smile. 

"Heh. Instead of that, why don't we play a little game, huh? A game I like to call..."

* * *

 

"You are a  _lifesaver_ ," Jo whispered to you. The three youngest had finally fallen asleep after a long run of the most boring game you could possibly think of. Yet, because of the help of their magic-using siblings, they found that counting all the corners in the room was exciting after all. Really, all the two of you did was illuminate them, letting the lights go out as they counted them down. 

"Yeah, I know. Where are the, and I use this term loosely, adults?"

"They wanted some time on the slopes, together, without kids, I think. They should be coming back soon." She sighed and leaned her head onto your shoulder. You were surprised you didn't see any of them pestering Sans about the nature of your relationship. "What were you up to the past couple of hours?"

"I practiced a bit... hung out with Sans on his break... you know."

"Oh, pff, yeah, hung out, totally." You could hear her rolling her eyes at you. "You're so damn lucky. I wish I had that luck with Papyrus..."

"Hon I hate to tell you this but I don't think he's poly."

"I knowwww." She blew a light raspberry between her lips. "Things just seem to be going so well for you this past week... You've gotten way better at using all this-" she drew a little purple ring in the air for effect "-you found an admittedly very cute skeleton boyfriend, and me? I've just been pining after his clueless brother. Talentless little me."

"Okay, you KNOW that's not true. You're way better at so many things than I am. I can't draw worth a shit, and you're getting commissions and requests eighteen times a day." She made a small, sad hum. "AND you're the one who got all those trophies from talent shows and is in the choir and the one who urged me to join her band despite my original extreme stage fright, riiight?" Tiny nod. "Not to mention, you're actually GOING somewhere. Every day, except for this week really, I've been checking progress on that single you put out and... man. People really love your voice. You could do this for a living, Jo. You'd get famous. Me? I'm just a loner with no real goals or ambitions."

"Gee, this turned into a self-pity party real quick..." A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. 

"Hah.. yeah..." You nestled your cheek against her hair. "Sometimes, I get really lonely without you, Jo. I don't keep a lot of friends."

"Don't you only have, like, three?"

"No need to rub salt in the wound." You sighed. "You're incredibly popular and I'm just left... Cold, miserable, without a few pals.... it doesn't matter who, what, how, where, or why of the exterior... because when that is all whittled away, you are left with only your spirit. And my spirit is  _damn_ lonely."

"Well, maybe we should get into the elevator or onto the lifts."

"No please don't."

"So we can."

"Jooooooooeeeeeyyyy." Your hands covered your face.

"Lift those spirits?"

"God you're the absolute worst."

"Yeah, but so are you." Your chuckles shook through each other, hushing down as to not wake the kids.

"Well. Now I can be in your head all the time. It doesn't have to be so lonely, you know."

"Yeah. I know." Sad sacks, party of two, was interrupted by the room door unlocking and light filtering in. 

"Oh, hey, you two! Thanks for looking after them," an out-of-breath Zane came stumbling in. 

"Didja have fun, pa?"

"Oh, yeah, loads," he grinned. "I can take it from here. You can head on out." You scooted past him, and behind him was Aron, giving a friendly little hi. A few doors passed and you heard the one you exited shutting.

"Well... You wanna get some food before our event?"

"Yeah, sure. Oh. I meant to ask. Where the heck did Papyrus go?"

"That... is a good question. After we gave his phone back and Sans took us out of there... I don't know!" 

"Should text him."

And so, the author realized that this was kind of dragging on and decided to say "fuck it," throwing the proverbial script up in the air, papers flying everywhere, and did a time skip up to the competition that night. Your stomach was knitted and knotted and twisting and turning because you were gonna go up there  _on your own_ because, rules stated, no pairs. And for the meantime, you were left cOMPLETELY alone, waiting for the damn thing to start. You weren't first up, certainly not, but you were going before Jo, and there was going to be an intermission between your performances featuring a surprise guest star. You dug into your pockets, rubbing your fingers between the plastic of an old candy wrapper. You slouched into the booth, feeling more like a turtle than ever. 

Remind yourself again why you did this? Oh, right. Because it looked fun. The things that look the most fun usually involve putting yourself out there, too. That. That was the part that was not fun. But mostly, you were doing it for Jo's sake. You know she'd take first place, and it'd be a pretty cool achievement for her to have. She'd always come in the top tier above ground, but Underground was a whole new territory. The only award you'd be winning tonight is world's sappiest sibling. She was off mentally preparing herself. Solo performances was where she really shone, and you respected that.

The first few performances were just outright incredible. You had no idea how talented monsters could be, since it seemed like most of the participation was from them. One in particular, Shyren? Like... holy cow. Though she seemed timid, she had a voice for the ages. Tough competition. You really wished Sans were here. He said he'd come, didn't he? Or maybe your brain was creating a false memory... shit... not... not good! But. What's the point in backing out now, right? Hah. Hahaha. Ha.

"Would contestant number 10 please make their way up stage?" Goooooood no. But you did anyway. So you huffed and made your way up there, trying to shake off your anxiety by playing it cool and confident. You quickly scanned the crowd, which wasn't nearly as large as it was for karaoke night, looking for any signs of Sans and Papyrus. Well, Papyrus was there, but Sans...

You cleared your throat. "G'devening, everybody. I'd like to dedicate this little number to two friends of mine I recently made." The DJ had your song prepared by what you had written down on the entry form, which was, of all things, Skeleton Song. The one by Kate Nash? You know the one. It's been stuck in your head for the past few hours and it just fits them SO WELL. So, you sang it, not doing really the best job, because your confidence wavered while being separated from your twin. Seeing the goofy grin on Papyrus when he realized you were singing for him (well, them)? That boosted your ego through the roof and you finished off stronger than you started. You knew you wouldn't take any places, but Papyrus came over to your no longer lonely little booth seat and hugged you, squealing.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH, HUMAN!!! YOU ARE MY FRIEND, TOO!! AND YOU DID SUCH A GOOD JOB!!!"

"Ahahah, ah, thanks, Paps. But... I... was singing that for both you  _and_ your brother, so I'm a little disappointed he didn't show up."

"YES... SANS IS PROBABLY OFF DOING A LOT OF NOTHING. IT'S HIS FAVORITE THING TO DO." You and him both, you thought. "OH BUT JUST YOU WAIT, HUMAN!! YOUR MOOD IS SURE TO IMPROVE!!" The lights dimmed, and a hush fell over the crowd. "HERE HE COMES!!!"

"Here  _who_ comes-?"

"GOOOOOOD EVENING, DARLINGS AND NONGENTLE DARLINGS!" Oh crap. Screams rang in your ear. Wow, say hello to your new friend, tinnitus. "OHHHH YESSSS, IT IS I, THE VERY RICH, FAMOUS, AND FABULOUS... "Drumroll. Spotlight. "METTATON!"

"Are you kidding me? I'm going to be upstaged by an overglorified vending machine?!" You gaped. Papyrus waved giddily at his boxy robotic boyfriend. Sure, you've seen his EX form, but why in the WORLD would he come out on stage looking like a freaking calculator? Perhaps he had something in mind. 

"OH HO HO, DARLINGS, CALM YOURSELVES, AFTER ALL, THE SHOW HAS YET TO BEGIN!" Jo slid into the booth, next to Papyrus.

"What'd I miss?" You just glared at her giggling self. Mettaton started off with a few bad jokes, that, of course, made the audience roar with laughter (the jokes Sans makes are so much better) followed by a little q&a, and then. AnD THEN. Just when you thought it was over, bass began to pump. You recognized this jazzy little beat. It was his signature theme song. You groaned and set your head down on the table.

_ aaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHH PLEASE JUST LOOK AT HIM _

_NO._

_GOD HE'S SO GORGEOUS._

_I said no, Jo._

_hOLD UP. HE'S COMING OVER TO THE TABLE. People are staring at you, you know. OKAY HE'S GONNA DANCE WITH PAPYRUS_

"OH, DARLING, FEELING A BIT DOWN?" You lifted your head up just enough to glare at his hoLY SHIT FUCKING BEAUTIFUL FACE. Damn. He looked pretty okay on television, but in real life, hooh. He just RADIATED sexiness. Your glare had turned into a small 'o' face, and you found yourself lacking in breath. "DON'T FEEL TOO AWFUL, BEAUTIFUL. AFTER ALL, A FRIEND OF PAPYRUS IS A FRIEND OF MINE!" He reached a delicate, gloved hand over and patted your cheek.

You are never washing your face again.

* * *

 

He sat at your booth, replacing Jo while she went up for her performance. Well. That was certainly... something. Mettaton flashed you a dazzling smile.

"I watched your performance, sweetie."

"Don't call me that," you grunted, shifting uncomfortably in your seat.

"Oh! I do apologize, I just have a habit of calling everyone pet names. But you did quite well up there!"

"...you really think so?"

"Of course! Everyone here is so talented, and I'm here to recruit!"

"Wait, what?" You spun around to look at the stage, where Jo caught your eye.

_ Hey, can you do some special effects for me? _

_You want to impress the robot, don't you._

_Ya caught_ _me,_ she shrugged, smiling. Alright. Sure. Let's show this calculator what-for, eh?

"Listen, Mettaton, if you thought I was good..." You turned back to him, shut your eyes, putting on your best, menacing grin, "Just wait until you see my twin." You felt the fire burning behind your eyes.

"OOH, ARE YOU GOING TO DO THE MAGIC?"

Behind you, you heard the familiar intro to her favorite song.

"I am not, Papyrus, I am but the simple host of who will be doing the  _true_ magic." Your eyes opened, and you willed your magic to your fingertips, shooting back at the stage as the first words touched her lips.

 _"Happiness... hit her like a train on a tra-ack,"_  you swung a veil of sparkling magic round her back, twiddling with it to make it look like an aurora. Little gasps came from the audience. _"Coming towards her stuck still no turning ba-ack..."_ Mettaton's jaw, and Papyrus's, similarly, hung ajar. You snickered, lifting your hands up to clap to the beat, sure that on stage, your performance magic was showing it, too. " _She hid it 'round corners and she hid it under beds, she killed it with kisses and from it she fled, with every bubble she sank with her drink, and washed it away down the kitchen sink..."_ You created little bubbles to float up the stage. By this point, the audience was clapping along gleefully as well. You could hear the smile in her singing, head ducking down and shoulders twisting this way and that.  
  
"The dog days are over, the dog days are done! The horses are coming, so you better run..." Her head bopped up, sultry eyes staring out under her lashes. You cut the act, letting her take the stage while preparing your next attack. _"Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father! Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers," f_ or your sister, you'd do anything, _"Leave all your love and your longing behind,"_ for her you'd take your whole soul and illuminate her! The little space heart swam excitedly up above the lights of the stage, hidden in the shadows. _"You can't carry it with you if you want to survive! The dog days are over, the dog days are done! Can you hear the horse-e-es? 'Cause here they come!"_

And with a snap of your fingers, the lights cut. Your soul lowered, shining the brightest light you could muster on her. It was straining, to be sure, but the determination to make this a performance to out-show Mettaton pushed you forward. She threw a hand out, aglow in a softer, more periwinkle light. Tension swept through the room but her voice pierced through it like a hot knife.   
  
_"And I never wanted anything from you...Except e-everything you had and what was left after that too, oh,"_ the moan fell from her lips along with her hand to her hip and you felt your soul whiz back into you. Shit. Hoo. You let the lights turn back on, but you were pretty sure that you were at your limit, feeling sweat drip down your face, hands shaking. _  
"Happiness hit her like a bullet in the ba-a-ack! Struck from a great height by someone-"_ she pointed over to the booth, at whom, you weren't sure, _"-who should know better than tha-a-at!"_

You blinked, vision blurring. Mettaton was completely enamored with her voice, her performance, the way she moved along to the beat and the words. You could hardly keep your eyes open at this point; the palpitations in your heart growing stronger. Papyrus put a gentle hand on your shoulder. You reached up and gripped it, panting. You probably looked like a mess right now, but Jo looked amazing, and that's all that mattered. After a day like today, she needed this. She deserved it. Even if it meant a little bit of pain. 

The final notes of the song rung out over a crowd who was going absolutely apeshit. You shuddered a sigh, grinning to yourself.

"THAT WAS A VERY NICE THING YOU DID FOR YOUR SISTER, -----." Wow, Papyrus called you by your  _name_ and not just human for once! "BUT YOU PUSHED YOURSELF FAR TOO HARD FOR SOMEONE WHO IS JUST LEARNING."

"'s ok, I'm good," you lied. "M-Mettaton, did you-?" He was on his feet and running to the stage. "Oh. That answers that question... Jo absolutely loves Mettaton, y'know? Big fan of his... has all his movies and albums..." You shut your eyes, wincing a bit. Everything felt sore. Something cool touched your forehead. You lifted one heavy eyelid to see Papyrus pressing an ungloved hand to your forehead. His bony fingers (heh) felt nice.

But you felt a twinge of sorrow when you thought about how you wished it were Sans. "YOU ARE RUNNING A FEVER. SHALL I TAKE YOU TO THE NURSE'S STATION?" You shook your head, mouth feeling dry.

"I'll be fine." God, your head hurt. Jo returned with her arm attached to Mettaton, but she quickly detached and threw herself around you. "Oof!"

"YOU!! ARE!! THE!!! BEST!!!!" She pulled back a bit to place a sloppy kiss on your forehead.

"Ew..."

"Seriously, darling, that magic of yours is something else!" Mettaton flipped his hair. "I think you two make quite the duo... Perhaps you could even open for me on my tours.."

"Really?!" Jo squealed in your ear. You winced, pushing her off, reeling. "...Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fi-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like writing people singing and dancing deal with it  
> 


	14. Cricket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's your last day here  
> and you swear you're seeing ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> her nickname  
> was Cricket  
> and she loved to sing

There are often nights in which one receives no dreams, only the cold embrace of darkness to lead them through their daily eight hour recovery. For some, this is a comfort, because no dreams are better than bad dreams. For others, it is a simple reminder of the oncoming, inevitable death that awaits them. For them, no dreams are the bad dreams.

You are one of those people.

You weren't sure quite how long you had been out for. Even waking up felt like a far-off memory. White lights buzzed above you, ringing inside your thoughtless head. You felt empty all over. Emotionally drained, physically weakened, and all around as devoid of anything as you could be. So maybe 'felt' wasn't the right word. A lack of feeling. You took a slow breath in, as long as you could, filling up your lungs as far as they could go and then some, then let it out, out, out. It felt good to be filled with something.

Your head rolled to the side, taking note of a cartoonish pain chart on a plain white wall. On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain? Ten didn't come close to the pain of hollowness.

Your head rolled to the other side. The room stretched out far enough to accommodate two cots (not including the one you were on), several chairs, a hand wash sink... And near the sink stood a. Well. You don't know what it was, some kind of monster, wearing a white doctor's coat, with a short beak and long flamingo legs, but an odd body that didn't match up with the rest of it. But, that didn't matter, what mattered was who was talking to the monster. Sans. You could tell just by the distinct blue of his jacket. The sight of him filled you with...

...well... nothing.

You mustered the will to sit up. You were sure that if you could feel anything, it'd be pain and soreness. But it was just a vacancy. You spun your legs to dangle over the side of the cot, seeing the short stack of bones shuffling over to you in his pink house slippers.

"glad to see you up." Though his voice didn't sound that enthusiastic. "heard you did some pretty crazy tricks last night." You only nodded. Something itched inside of you, a bitterness among the barren deserts. "you can't do that, kid. you could have died." 

"Hm."

"how do you feel?" His fingertips traced over the tendons on the top of your hands.

"...Apathetic."

"and physically?"

"Physically apathetic."

"...you really drained yourself. use that much magic in one go, and your soul gets damaged. you should eat something. it'll help you feel... well, it'll help you feel." He nodded to who you assumed was the nurse, who, for a lack of a better word, sauntered over with a tray. You took it from her, placing it in your lap. There was a slice of pie on it. The smell stirred something in your memory. Despite any actual urge to do so, you picked up the plastic fork and dug in.

And it was as if a flood washed over you. The pie... "This is Toriel's.." Sans nodded. It was heavenly. 

"there's a reason it's called soul food." You paused halfway through a bite to give him a Look. "ah, there's the ----- i know and love."

"Shut up, Sans, I'm mad at you." You shoved another fork full of the custardy butterscotch pie into your mouth.

"i know. i wasn't there. in my defense, i never said i was coming."

"True, but..." That feeling from early twisted inside of you. "I shouldn't be upset. I'm overreacting."

"better than underreacting. for what it's worth... i'm sorry. but i'm mad at you, too." You raised an eyebrow. "why the fuck would you use your magic so recklessly when your powers are still developing?" You chewed slowly, staring away from him. "if you had gone one step further, you..." His fingers gripped the edge of the cot. For once, he wasn't smiling. The everlasting grin on his face was set straight, teeth grit. You flashed back to the forest for a moment, his eyes hollow. 

"Sans... I... I'm sorry." You set the tray aside, reaching your arms around him. "I never meant to scare you."

"But it was so STUPID of you to do, ----! Please, tell me exactly why you thought it was appropriate to nearly KILL yourself? I- I wouldn't be able to take it if you had- if you... if you had..." A choked sobbing noise burbled out of him. You squeezed him tighter. Though his voice had sounded scary at first... very unlike him, actually, at first, it had collapsed into a worried sob.

You pressed kisses over his temple, his cheeks, lips stealing away tears before they could fall. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," you repeated, "I did it for my sister. I know it's not much of an excuse but. I really fucked up. I made her hurt and jealous by gallivanting off with you, and by being a bit better at using magic in the first place... and I didn't want her to be left out, you know?" He rubbed a sleeve across his eye sockets. "I'd do anything for her. I knew that helping her out with the show would make her happy, and I didn't care at what cost it came to me. I'd choose her happiness over mine, every time, and if it came down to it...?" You coughed a pathetic little laugh. "Yeah. I'd die for her. I know it's cheesy. But when you live for someone, you'd die for them, too."

"...i know what you mean." His shoulders sagged with a ragged breath. "don't even ask what kind of shit i'd do if i had to go through Papyrus dying..." He shook his head. "don't wanna hold my breath for that, though."

You didn't mean to, but you snorted. He gazed up at you, a full brilliance shining in his eyes again.

"i'm glad you're okay," he whispered. 

"Me too. Now c'mon, let's get out of this stuffy room. Smells like hospital."

You weren't exactly looking forward to today. The latter half of it would involve packing everything up for your departure... You pushed the thought as far off as you could. Sans led you through a set of double doors and down a long, bleach-white hallway. At the end was another set of double doors, one of which he held open for you. You thanked him, stepping into a much more comfortably decorated area. The familiar look of the bottom most floor greeted your eyes. This was great! That place made you feel... dry. The two of you walked in comfortable silence around a corner (you saw a sign pointing back the way you came labeled 'nurses station'), and passed by the dining hall.

Something made you stop right before you passed it entirely, however. You peered inside, staring at someone. She was by herself, drinking a cup of coffee, probably, staring into the distance. Sans's hand tugged on yours, urging you forward. You didn't move. Maybe your eyes were playing a trick on you. But you had to know.

"...Ch.." You could barely choke out the first syllable before your vision blurred, causing you to recoil, grunting from a mild pain. You rubbed your eyes, and when they were clear again, she was gone. Your heart dropped into your stomach.

"-----?" Your attention was caught by the plump skeleton. "what are you looking at?"

"Nothing, nothing," you said hurriedly. "I just thought I saw someone I knew, is all."

"alright," his shoulders shrugged under the jacket. A metallic taste formed on your tongue. It was her. It was definitely her.

* * *

 

Your phone said two A.M. It wasn't actually all that late, you thought. Jo would still probably be awake. You tried to send her a little thought, but all you got was static. Must be busy, or, for once, actually asleep. You exited the elevator at the lobby instead of following it up to the third floor where your room was. Sans accompanied you without question. On the opposing end of the lobby laid a sleepy fire, several people gathered around it, chatting idly and clinking drinks. You wanted to just go outside, get a breath of fresh air, but- again. 

You took a sharp intake of breath. Same haircut. Same color. Same forehead shape, sloping into the same pointed nose, eyelashes fluttering in laughter. Your shoulders tensed.

"Chels..." Your voice was so hushed, not even you could hear it reach your ears. But she turned her head, flashing you a grin, and in that exact moment, the world turned shades of bruisy wine. You spat, swearing, hands flying to your temple. 

"----?! shit, you're really glowing. what's wrong?"

"I- I don't know," you grumbled. The pain dissipated rapidly. You blinked a few times.

"can i help?"

"Is there a place you can take me where absolutely no one else will be able to go?" He hesitated. 

"...yeah, but... do you think you're okay to do that?"

"I promise, I won't let go of you this time, or do any freaky shit." You bent down slightly, arms wrapping around the top of his shoulders. His hood felt warm. You closed your eyes, and... you know, that wasn't bad at all. It was like one of the youngest just tugging on your shirt. 

"you can open your eyes now." 

The air here was so different. It was moist, with just a little bit of a chill, like a springtime morning. Wet earth and petrichor. 

"Holy... Sans, it's fucking beautiful here..." He fell backwards onto a bench, patting the seat besides him. You sat, gazing in awe. The water seemed to be the light source for the room, glowing with a soft, neon blue. 

"...it's fucking beautiful here..." A small voice came besides you. You jerked aside, head whipping to your left. A flower, with enormous petals the same blue as the water and half the height of you, stood there. Sans snickered.

"that's an echo flower. it repeats whatever you say into it, on and on into eternity..." He made an opening and closing motion with his hand. "yap, yap, yap."

"I want to make a babbling brook joke, but since it's not the water that speaks..." You touched your shoulders to your ears, hands up and out in a wide shrug. He laughed anyway. You dropped the gesture, relaxing against the bench. It, surprisingly, didn't feel at all mossy like you would think a bench in a place like this would be. Dust motes in shades of arctic blue floated idly around. "Thanks for taking me here."

"i come here when i want to be alone." He eased his arm around you, pulling you into his thick mass. And maybe it was your imagination, but you swore you saw something moving in the shadows. "so what's eatin' at you, kid?"

"I-did you see that?" Another movement.

"no..."

"...Probably just my imagination, then... But that's just it!" You snapped your fingers. "Sans, do you... ever, like, see dead people?" He squinted at you. "No no, not in like a creepy little kid from a poorly done movie kind of way. Just. Do you ever- do you ever see your dad?" Your voice cracked. "And I don't mean, like, someone might look a little like him, or you hear a little bit of his voice in someone, but like, actually see him??"

A moment filled only by the sound of water sloshing against the river banks passed. "yeah. i do. but i'm never really sure if... it looks a lot like him, but it... it's not." He sighed. "why?"

"Because, twice within the span of ten minutes, I... I saw Chelsea."

"Chelsea?"

"My best friend. And it couldn't have been anyone other than her, I just- god, even her eyes were the same color." You grabbed at the hem of Sans's coat, twisting the nylon between your fingers. "It was like seeing a ghost. Worse than a ghost. Like if I was close enough, I could have touched her, and it'd've been real. And, both times, I got a really bad pain in my head right after seeing her, the same kind of pain I got the first day my magic started appearing... only... it was such a short burst..." Sans stiffened, his unnecessary breathing coming to a halt.

"that... is... really fucking weird. i've never heard of someone seeing dead loved ones like that."

"Do you think it's some kind of power?"

"i wouldn't be able to tell you. it's... unheard of. maybe because you're human. i dunno."

"...Cool. Great." Your throat felt strangled. "Uncharted territory. Just what we need."

"heh. hey. this whole trip has been a mess of uncharted territory for ya though, right?"

"...Smartass." You slapped him playfully. 

"i don't have an ass, remember?" You only rolled your eyes at him. "listen... i hate to be that skeleton, but i have something that needs tending to. mainly my sleep. i'm wicked tired." 

"Oh," was all you could muster. He did have dark circles under his eye sockets, you noticed, which is weird because skeletons don't have capillaries, so how... Magic. Magic is the answer. "Well, go on ahead. I think I'd like a few minutes alone here."

"whatever ya say." He took your shoulders from behind, leaning forward and pressing his teeth to your cheek. "text me later, okay?"

"Yeah."

And just like that, he vanished off to wherever his sleeping quarters resided, leaving only you and the shadows alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know the bench room description wasn't accurate. that's purposeful.


	15. The Ungrateful Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wish you hadn't asked to be left alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i need to continue to update this while editing and taking reader suggestions. otherwise it's just not going to ever be finished.  
> sorry for the zalgo... i won't be translating it. it will get clearer in the future.
> 
> current time in-fic: 2 am - 4:38 am.

It was quiet for a long, long time. Even your thoughts were just whispers among the shouting of the cool, dark caverns. The echo flower swayed back and forth to a slow, natural rhythm.

You wish you hadn't asked to be left alone. Sans would have stayed with you. You know this. Still, all of it was so confusing and confounding. You JUST met him, yet you were already in love??? Right. Hah. No. This is just... lust. He probably does this to every decent looking human that comes around his way... You could feel your heart ache. Your soul screamed at you that it wasn't true. Okay, maybe he does care for you. Maybe it's just the magic. Maybe it makes some kind of aphrodisiac effect. But now your thoughts turned to the magic. It came on so horrifically suddenly. Though, you weren't surprised you got a good grasp on it so quickly. You've always been good at getting a hold on things. 

The shadows bristled, making your shoulders stiffen. 

"It's okay. Nothing can hurt you," you said to yourself.

"...nothing can hurt you," the echo flowered repeated, swaying a little.

"See? Even the flower agrees." You sighed and leaned back into the wood slats of the bench. "It's just your magic playing tricks on your eyes..." Your slight relaxation was immediately stomped out, because you felt something touching your shoulder. You yelped, torso swiveling around. "Wh-who's there?"

But no one came.

"...Okay, -----, just, relax, okay?" Your voice was catching in your throat, making it high pitched and anxious. 

"Nothing can hurt you," the echo flower sang. You slowly twisted back to face forward, not ready for what appeared there.

 

 

y̷͙͚̰̫͚̼͚͉͖̳̰̤̮̮̮̽̿̉ͬ͐̾̈́̃̐͒̾̿͞ǫ̇̑ͥ̀̽͢͝҉̣͎͎̲̖̫̙͚̙͎̰ṵ̬͉̻̲̮͇̲̳̟̬̪̫̦ͦ̉̾́͒ͯ͒̐̊̊͒ͭ̀́͝͡ ̷̬̩̬̦̦̥͉͕̪̫͙̦̰̯͙͔̄͛͋ͪ́̋ͭ͛ͦ̚͝͞ͅd̸̶̶̰̳͕̮̰̗̼̫͎̗̜́̋̐̃̒ͯ͗̔̽͗̚̕į̛̯͕̤̠̼̱̞̱͚̭̝̬̼̣̥͓͍͔͂ͩ̈̒͘d͍̫̟̺̹̤̘̻͚̟̹͕̬̉̏̎͊ͣ̌́́͜ṋ̷̢̹̖̲ͪ̽̈́̉̂̈̇͒ͮͨ͘ͅ'̛̰̫̱͎̺̫̩͔̫͈͇͓̼̮̺̬̩̈́͗̈ͨ̀ͣͤ̆͑͑̎͑͊ͮ̚͞͞ẗ̷̢̛̛̙͎̩̤͙̱͉͖̮̻̮̠͎̬̮͈̣͕͌ͣͫͯ̚ͅ ̷̵̛̼̼̫͔̝̣̖͎͉̣͚̌͌̃̈ͧ̿̇̇͆ͬ̎͆́̽͋͐́̚̚ͅm̴̦̣̫͕͚̲̹͑͗̑ͧͧ͊͊̇̾̒̾̃̂͐̚e͙̫̻͔̰̗̗͕̩̲̱͈̦̅ͧ́̐̈ͣ̎̿̈́͂ͭ̏ͮ͘a̴̷̖̟̦̰̪̹̯͚̬̲̳͇ͮ̐͐̏ͮ̑̿̑̾ͦ͘͘͝ͅnͦͬͥ̊͋̈ͫͫ͒̏͗͌͋ͯ͟͏̩̬̫͕̺̦̬͈̟͢ͅ ̴̦̜̩͇̟̺̤͎̯̜͓̥̯̥͖̭̞̰̺ͬ̐͛ͣͯ̀t̛̪̗̯̗̾̒̈̊͋ͥ́̕̕o̮͔͖͎̗̦͈͇͈͑ͭ̐̈ͪ̊̿̂̇̾ͭͦͨ̀̋́̕ ̵̡̧̙̟͎̼̊͌͊̈́ͤ̿ͣͨ̊̀̚̚ḑ̵̸̶̛͕̱̰̻͙̦̮̺̖͇̰͖̖̥̓͂͆̂͋̃̑́̇ơ̴̴̛̙̲̝̘̞̭̜̳ͧ͑̆̋ͦ͟ ̤̬̼̝͖͖͍̟̼͖̦͔͔͇͚̩̌̃̐ͫ̅̃̒͂̓͑ͧ̓́̚̚͢į̖͍̳̲̩̜̝͚̻͕͙͚̻͚̖̺͇̰̓̽̏͊ͥ͒́͜͡͝͠t̷̨̜̥̱̺͐̐ͭͧͧ̄ͯ̓̑̀͘͞

 

 

"Ch-Chels..." She was there, but not. Her form wavered like shifting sands. A shadow, eyes gleaming bright green. A glitch. She smiled.

 

 

I̵̧̨̭̯͚̠̤͈̰̖̼̠͚͙͈͉̩̟̙̦̯͋̐̏ͤ͐̅͆͝t͓̳̼̙͈͍̞̼̲̥̟̹̹ͭͧ̏̐̏͆̓̆̈́́ͣ̏͌́̚̚͘'͛̒͛̓̀͑̒̽̈ͤͨͫ̏҉̕҉̞̜̰̯̪̦̩̯͎̦̖͓s̵͙̥͖̔́͂ͭ͑̓̕ ̠̳͚͔̋̐̔̊̐͆̅̉ͯ̓̎̎̍ͫͯ́̀̕͘͟n̢͂̏̓ͮ͛̂̌ͨ̌ͫ̕҉͏̺̤̳͓̠̮̻͇͇͓̹̜̦o͆ͤ͌͑͑ͥͬͤ͌͒̌̾͋̃̚͏̴͚͉̮̳̕͡͞t̛̝͙͍̹̮̮̱͚̹͓̰͉̠͓͇͙̭̊̽̒ͯ̓̎̈̕͘͝ͅ ̰̙̝̜̜ͫ̑ͯ̉̀ͭ̄̅ͩͦͩ̋ͮ̊̑̇́́y̧̤̲̳̰̠ͮͥ̎ͦͧͦ͗̾͂̀̓̊̏́ͨͮ̇́͒̕ȏ́͋ͩ̇̌̋̈́̓͛̏̑̔̋͒͊҉͏͙̠͔̤̹̗̳̥̯̬̖̲̬̤̜͇̳̻u̷̵̺͇͔͖͕̦̬̘̝̮̙̖̖̳̘͔̍̔́ͬ͘̕͞ͅrͣͨͪ͒ͦ̊̇̊̀̓͛̉ͨ̿̽̂̀ͯ̚͟͏̲̙̹͔̦͎̗̣͕̭͎͕͖͎̘͙̩̩͞ͅ ̷̨̥͎̬̖̦̤̻̬ͤͯͧ̊͡͠f̷̺̤͈̳͕̙ͣ̽̽ͬ̈ͬ́́̕͝ͅa̶̡̡̖̖̼͙͖̯͐ͨ̐ͥͫ̑̀ͪ̀̋u̸̩̹̠͔͚̯̹̰̱͉͕̘̝̬̼̩ͩ̒͂͆̋̀̓̊̆̇ͬ͘̕ͅl̑̋͆̒͗̄̔́̂̀̂̓̚҉҉̺̼̯̫͔͔͙͓̳̰̩ṫ̷̶͖̮̺̰̤̂̔̃͊ͧͣͪ̅̓̀̚͝ͅ,̸͍̘̜͍̺̪̝̰̣̙͒̆͋̔̋͊̀͌͊͘ ̶̛͎̥̝͖͇̟̦̪͈͎̮̲͇͖̘̥̠ͯ̓̇̈́͌̂̈͌͊ͥ͂͐̓̽͗͂͑̓̃́͡-ͧ̍̎̓ͣ̍̒̎̎̎ͣ̃͏̙͇̥͇̼̣͕̭̯͙̲͠ͅ-̷̛ͦ͗̎͑̾ͨ͗̀̏̾̎̂̕͞͏͎̠̙͙̻̪͖̲-̵̢̹͉̺͖͔̥̲͂͂̿̃̿̆̃̿̐͂̔͟͡-̨ͨͣ͋͛̍ͭ̆̀̑̑͛̎̆̅ͧ͗͛͢҉͈͓̞̼̦̜͍͎̬̪̰͇͉̯͈̜̀-̡̩͓͇̗̜͓͖ͩ͂̄̇̇ͥ̎ͩ̌͗͒̒̏̉ͦ̅̀͘͝.̷̴̢̡͚̙̲̣̻͉͍̯̻͙̫͕̮͇͑̏̐͊ͤ̓͛ͯ̔ͩ̇͂͒ͤͅͅ ̶̡̥̦̣̠̣ͮ̾̋̄́͛ͫ̉ͩ͋̋̆̏̆͌̀͢İ̷̝͓̟̰̯̯͇͓̂̏ͮ̅ͧ̏̔̇̾̔̇ͪ̀̕͡͞ ̷̶̢̙͔̹̮͎̪̩̼̌ͬ́̂ͭͫ́ͅf̶̡̱̮̤̜̩̖̺̬͉̹͕̩͕̎̎̑͑̔̒̊̈ͧ̑̾͆͡͝o̎̅͒ͮͩͬͯ͏̲̣̜̼̘̭̪̹̞̪́ṙ̢̫̲͖̪̠̫̻͉̙̫̏ͮ͌̑͜͜͞g̻͈͕͖͈̘͕̟̩͚̩̳͔̃̌ͩ̀ͬͩ̈ͩ̂̈́̋ͯ̕ͅͅi̢̘̺̼̝͍͓̲͇͇̰̇̂͑͒̾́ͭ͛́̀ͅv̸̛̬͚̦͕͉̘̠̩̣̘͚͖̺̲ͤ̔ͧ͒ͥ͘͟͠ȩ̵̷̳̱̘̤̱̩͔̹̖̻̟̝̱̪͋͂ͧ͒̽ͪ̋̃̽́ͬͮ͆̊̋̃̐ ̵̨̹̱͚̺̱̩͙̳͈̼̜̦̿ͭͤ̓̈̉̒̽̋̃̔̍̂̄̓̆̒͞ý̸̶̷͓̜̠͙̯͐̈͐̐̏̄̓ͩ̋̅ͭ̈̾̚͟͡oͪ̈́̇̈̅̅ͦ͘͢͏҉͎̼̲͙̙u̡̾̀͑̇͗ͬ̑ͭ͐͊̚҉̺̝̯͉̘̠̘̺ͅ.̷͙̳͓̼̹̭͕͇͇̐͐̀̌̐ͨ̚͞ ͗̊̔̃͂ͣ̾̅̌̔͐͋̌̐̉ͣͣ͘͞͏̭͉̘̦̫̜͚͓͕̀͝ͅYͫͧ͂̅ͨ͂̎͏̸̢̳̜̹͈̺̹̯̞̥͞͠o̵̢͈̩͇͈͇̱̗͓̙̜̹͍̓̽ͥ͐̉͆ͨ͗̂͗̇̆̇ͫ͊͌̆̽ͩ́̕ǘ̸̧͕̦̝̻̺̪̩̩̬͎̱̟̲̱͇̣ͬ͂̋ͥ͊͌ͦ͆͊̍ͣ́͜ͅ ̶̩̭̖̙͕̯͔̥̣̦̘̖̖͈̼͈̲̫ͫ͑̑̑͌̿̏ͫͬͣͬ̄͡ͅc̸̡̤͕̣̜̝͖̫̺͇͔̑̏̃͑͗̏̅ͩ̕ȁ̴̴͍̪̦̗̣͓͎͎͕̹͉̼̪̫̘ͦ̅ͪ̈̔̆ͮ̅̍ͦͮ͒n̴̢̛̙̭͉̹̬͙̳̥͚̮͎͍̰̦̱̖̳̫̅ͥ̾̂͡ ̞̯̹͎͙̘̠̩̥̮͖͙͓̻ͣ̒̌̍ͣͮ̎͑ͦͬ̒̔ͤͯ̀͟͢t̪͈̞͚̩̲̻͊̔͂ͥͣͣ̆̄ͧ̈ͬ͆ͯ̆̚̚͘͟͝͠aͤ̂̄̀͆̍͗͂̿ͫ̋͏͢͜҉̙͚̮̠̞̭̺̺l̵̸̶̷̞̼̰̤̞̲̲̗̘̠̯͛̾ͦ͊̔ͫ̊ͫ̉͂͑̉ͬ̔͐ͤ̚̕k͊͐̎ͣ̑̎̓ͧ̏ͤ͋ͪ͘͏̨̟͎̮̱̺̙̻̞̣̯̺̗̲̘̝͇̥͞͠ͅ ̵ͣ̈́̒́͒̆ͤ̑̎̂̿͂͆̏̓̏͟͝͞͏̺̩̩͚͍͕͍͙̮̥̹̲̼̳̗̞ͅţ̷̴̯̘̲͇͎͓̙͈͍̹͇̯̠̗̮̬͍ͪͣ̅ͮ̓ơ̷̷̤͈̥̯͔̟͚͈͙̱̋̋̆̀̊ͯ̽̄ͨ̀̉̒̎ ̣͙͚̬̱̱̻͙̫͊ͪ̒̋ͨ̓͘͜m̶̬̥̬̤͎̭̖͉̖̝̮̮̬̟̣͈̻ͧ̓̉͂ͣͫ͗ͧ͂̊͗́̍̆̂͆̚͞͠͡e̸̢͙̘͚͍̺͚̲̱͕̰͚͒ͭ̔͒ͮ̒͂̇ͦ͆̂ͬ͛̂ͅ ̇̓̒͒̑̃̓̅ͭͣͧ̑̀̚͏̧͈̥̦̦̪͖̭͉͓͉͚̙a̖̝͎̲̗̘̣̹̫̹̗͈̍̽̅ͣͧ́ͥ͑ͯ̆ͪ̾̒͘͠ͅb̸̸͚̟͍͔̙̼̯̮̳͍̭̗̘̭͙͇̗̔̅̎͟ͅǫ̛̥̻͙̖̯̗͔̯̪͈͕̳̲̝̪͋ͧͤ̊ͬ̂̋̓̓̓ͩ͋̎͒̀͜ưͪ̈͊͒͋̒͟҉̘̣͓̘̝͍̗t̵̜͓̼̩͎̩̩͇̺̮̗̗̟̦̹̗̤͂ͦ̓̌́̿͐̾̋̉̽̊̿̎̕̕ ̏̔̌͗ͦͣ̀͢͏͙̳̞͉̳͍͟a̧ͨ̾̉́͋ͥͫ́̒͌̉̆ͬ͌̎͗́̀̕͏̴͙̣̤̙̰̥̦̳̬̭̲͔͚̯͎̼n̴̨̝̮̘͕̩͕̆͌͋ͧ̅̕y̢̓̇̉̈́̓͌ͭͫ̈́̇̏͋̆̃̒̚҉҉̛̩͉̰̬̫̺̱̭̞̭̲ͅt̵̪̮̬̯̑ͣͬ͐ͥͥ̇͆͆̇́̊̈̅̑͗̅̇̚͡h̵̢̨͈̼̦̰̘̲̹̝͚̜̑ͫ̑͊̔ͭ̉̀̕ḭ̷̮̣̖̦́̍̈́̋̋̉͆̅̇́̅̍̓̈͒n̶̜͖̫̠͓͔̦͎̜̱̭̓̎̃̍̊̊͗͘ģ̧͕̘̝̘̱̭̝͙͙̺̭̺̙̜̙̳̳͐̓̐͂ͤ̍ͣ̈́̎͒ͥͫ̅̓̚͞,̨̲̙̝͍̥̦̰ͯ͂̈̇͘͟͠ ̏̌̉͑̽͛̇̉̑͊̔ͭͧ̓̕҉̨̲̪̦̜̦̗͚͚̤͜y̛̳̜͎̳͇̗̹̩͈ͧ͋͂͆͋ͯͭ̃͆͛̊̑̋̍ͨ͆͊̉͜ơ̵̳̼̰̼ͭ̿̏͂̀̅͛ͣ́̚uͭͩ̐͌͛̉ͬ̍҉̤̼̝̙̪̫̪͖̮̺̮̖̗͓̥͍͘ ̏̒̎̌͗̔͆̾̅̍ͧ̚҉̗̭̜̻̪̱͉́k̸̫̮̥̦̺̳̠̬̞̦̦̫ͨ̿ͣ̏̉̽́͢͝n̶̛͖̪͍̞̖̫̑ͥ͗̓ͧͬ̋̍́̊ͤͫ͐͌ͮ̀̚͘o̰͔̟͖͊̒̓̾̇̌͢w̢̎̑͆́̏̋̈̾̐͗ͪͦ̿̈͊̂̚̕͏͉̯͓̗̻̝͈͔͇̘͚̫.̟̹̣̖̖̩̦̖̣͓̮̣͍̇̒̈́ͣ͊͐̌̅ͬ́͟͝  
---  
  
 

"I-I can't understand you." Your eyes couldn't get any wider. She bent down a little, but more like her form sank into the gravel below, reaching a gray hand to you. Instinctively, you pressed your face into the cold, intangible palm. It smelled like roses.

 

 

Î̢̧̡̙̭̼̬͕̘̖̫̭̥̘̻̰͕̺ͣ̊̑̃͛̉̈́ͧ͂ͦ̄̍̾ͪ́̈͊ͬ͡ ̧̧̛͇͚͓̗̻̜͇̫̣͊ͣ͊͌́̒͂ͦͤ̂ͭ̾͒͊̉́͝s̷͒̉ͫ̇̾͌͘͡͏̬͕̗͍͈̹̰̣̱̝̰̜͎̺͕̪̘͍̗ë͚͚̘͇̼̣̽̈ͧ̅ͦ͆ͩ͗ͫͣ̿͆͘͘͢ͅe̛͈̠̖̪̤̻̦̯̿̽̏͒̌̆̾͋̿̋ͩ͒̿ͦ̀͘͢.̼͙̲̙̼̫̟̩̙͍̮̥̑̋ͫͭ͗͐ͮ̆̑̒͊ͯͥ̊̇̒ͧ͊̑̀̀͠ ͭ͒̂̓ͨ͂̄̍̃͛҉̸̛͔̠͕̪̭̝̜̺̗͚̖̩͖͇͢͢ͅI̡͛̑͒̎͢͝͏̨͉̺̱̲̖̳͓͔ͅͅ'̸̜̘̖̞̫̙̟͈̿̈́ͧ̊̒̍ͩ̉̊ͯ̋ͧ̊ͯ̋̀̚̕͢ḷ̸̡̲̹̫̞̪͎̪̮̫̱ͮ̑ͤ̄͛̆̈́̆͂ͮ̋̊ͦͧ̾͝ļ̶̡̛͉̙̗̮̝̝̫̹͇̹͉̆̎͊͗ͧ̿̽ͯͩ̿̊̍̚̕ ̷̡̛̛̟͖̳̹̑̊̾̉̓͛͛̅ͧ͒̑͋̽c̛͎̳͕̙̯̳̱̲̜̹̬̠͖͖̣̎̂ͤ̎̈̓͌́̿̈́ͪ͛̒̐͛ͭ̄͝ō̵ͧ̓ͣ̉ͥ̈͛̏̌҉̳̥̱͔̖̬̣̥̗̱͔m̶̛͆̿͑̂̅ͬ̇͗̎ͮ͋͒̃́̉ͮ͒͞҉̰͕͕̠̰͓̮̮͈̫͎̪̼͇̖͎̝̖ͅé͊̈́̋́͟͝͏̸͖̖̖̠̗ ̬̤̖̹̮̮͉̟̼̥͓̫̻̘̂͗̒̆̍ͭ̎͝b͂͆ͮ͑ͫ͛̑ͣ̐̎̂̔ͯͬ̚͝͡͏̩͇̯̣̠̥̟ǎ̷̶̧̢̻̺͉̤̖͕̺͖̠͎͕͍͖̝̣̇ͬͤ̾͌̓̇́ͅc̸̶̡̧̯͉͍͉͈͓͈̮̗̪̣̱̳͎̙̓ͨͬ͗̾̅̑̌̿͋ͮ̽ͯ͞k̶̨̼̗͕̬̹͇̮̳͖̭̲ͯͨ͐́̂ͦ̄̈́̚͘͞ͅͅͅ ̷̷͎̬̬̝͕͓̔̈́̄͌ͤ̋ͨ̉ͬ̔͐ͦ͐̂ͮl̷̛͔̩̯̯̦͎̍̋ͣͮ̒̊̌͌́͝ͅa̛̹̦̳̟͇͙͒̍̑ͤͬͫ͆̑͂͌͂͛̋ͤ̾ͫ͟ͅt̓ͮ̏̄͌̿ͨ̇̾̈́̆͆͗ͩ̔̋̍̌̋͏͡͡͏̘̮̮̭̟̹̱̦̫̜͓͓̻͙̝̞͈ę͇̜̹͍̪̤͖̘̪ͫͬ̿ͦ̌́͜͜͞ͅŕ̷̗̬̻̻̱̻̬͉͇̝̗̬̺̙̏̃ͭ̐ͩ͡͝,̦̖̦͓̬̤͖̤ͤ́͛͊ͮ͡ͅ ͌͊ͮ͐ͣ͊͑̂̓͏̛͖͓̤̲̩͙̘͎̖͠ͅț̷͎̥̣͈̭̝̹̫̹͖̱͕̠̮̾̓ͮ̃̓̿ͮ̌̈́̀ͪ͟͞ͅḥ̡̛͔̖͈̲̭̠͉̞͉̱̙͇̖̭̃̓̄͠͠e̸̴̵̸̹͓̣̳̘̒ͨ̓̍̇ͩ̾̿̔ͤ̉͆͌̌̿̓́n̷̵̯̮̮̦̘̥͕͈̲̟͕̪̜̩ͧͮ̒̽̇͛̇ͩ̒ͦ̈́̄͗͐̅̿̿ͣ͘͟͠.̻̖̳̜̫̤͖̰̘͎̥̫̖̤̗̟͂̊̅̇ͦͯ̄͘ͅ ̉̔ͬ̋̆̕͏̲̜̲͓͓̟̯̱̙̳̘̼Iͪ̌̈̌̋̾ͬ͂̈͒̌͐̊ͫͦ̑̀͘͏̧̫͈͖͉̰̘̰̲̳̱̟̯͓̳͎͞ͅ ́ͣ̊̐͊͆ͦ̔̌͏̴̧̗̱͈̖͔̗͈̪͙̺͖͓̥͍̩̪͟͞l̨̜̰͇̼͔̃͑͊̈́ͤͪ̀̎̃̈ͩ̉̆̐̆̆ͮ͞ǫ̶̷̨̝̭̜͙̼̭̰̩̘̺ͩ̓ͦ̅̓̽͝v̧̭͚̙̼̤̼͐̓ͮ͌͑͗̌̂ͤ͌͂ͦ͗̀͟è̅̐̅ͯ̅̈̓̽̈ͪ̓ͮ͊̄̂̋̓͌҉̵̫̣̬̩̬͕̝̰ ̵̘̲͙̖̻͗̓͐ͮ̇ͥͮͤ̉͐̽͂͡͝͞ͅy̸̡̬̠̦̙͉͇̠͚͉̝̜̲ͮ͋͛̑͐̀o̷͚̞̳͕̺̻̲̿ͬͫ͐̈́ͤ̑̌ͤͦ̅ͮ̐̚͜ũ̸̧͙͓̪̠̞͙̤̝͓̬͉̻̱̘̾͆͛͌̈́͊͠͝.̧̩̲̲̰̬͓̭͎̠̰̠͚̟̻͉͗ͬͤ̎ͥ̊̂̈̓́̓̎͢ͅ

 

 

And, in a gust of wind that you didn't feel, she was gone. 

What the literal fuck. Did you just talk to a ghost? Moreover, did you just TOUCH a ghost?! Oh no. You're dizzy. You're way too dizzy. You're falling forward from the spot your face was resting against her- 

_you want to go back_

* * *

 

You awoke with a gasp, fingers clenching into the bedsheets. Sweat poured from you, chest heaving in and out. Your limbs felt locked in place. Jo. Where is Jo. Where is she? god damn it- you can't reach her, you can't think, breathing is getting hard- your head, your fucking head, spinning, aching, eyes darting back and forth in the dark-

you're on a bed. Ground yourself. You are on a bed. Breathe. You can clench your fingers. Ground. What can you smell? Smells like... cold. And peppermint. Take deep breaths, identify the deepest scents. What can you feel? Corron and polyester. A weight on you. A blanket? What do your eyes see? Your breathing is calming now. What do you see? darkness. A very faint light streaming from your right. Maybe the cracks in a curtain. What can you move? Don't go all Kill Bill on yourself. Start with your hands. Cracking and groaning under the gravity of an overwhelming paralysis. 

Inch by inch, you managed to roll yourself up. You had returned. Even after all of that, your magic protected you, got you back to the room, safe. Whole. Nothing was missing. But a fire still burnt intense behind your eyes, and the darkness was a deep purple, almost black. Pain throbbed in your head like never before. Damn, you really wish Jo was here. She wasn't sleeping in the bed next to you. Barry had occupied that space in her absence, and the pull-out couch laid empty. You continued to try to get in contact with her telepathically, but something was blocking you. A Barry-er.

You chuckled quietly at your own, very bad, joke. Ah. Laugh off the pain. Just your style. You wondered, curling your knees to your chest, if Jo could feel your pain, too. You hoped she didn't. In lieu of her presence, you reached over and touched Barry's exposed arm. His breathing was quiet, slow, and brought a wash of calm on your guilt-ridden body. You blinked away the fire, the oncoming surge of tears, and the pain. No, just because your sister wasn't here didn't mean you were alone. You had other family. Always.

...Even if you really wanted to ask that family member a question. "Psst. Barry. Hey." You shook him a little. He grunted. "Yo. Brother sibling dearest." You shook him harder.

"Hmwhat?" His tired reply came.

"If you saw me using magic before everyone else, why didn't you say anything?"

"'Cause I thought it was the skeleton. Wassis name? Santa? Whatever.." He rolled over to give you a sleepy glare. "Can I go back to sleep now, Houdini?"

"...Yeah, yeah." 

"Thank fuck," and immediately he went back to snoozing. Adopted or not, you were more like Barry than you thought. If you were him, you would've thought it was Sans, too. Despite him saying that it was you who- okay stop thinking lay down and  _go the fuck to sleep already._

Sleep at a time like this is an impossibility. Aren't headaches supposed to be cured by sleep? But for all you know, you woke up like this. You could have already been sleeping. Whatever. You rolled out of bed, staggering over to the closet, and changing into the last outfit you'd be wearing for the Underground. You'd be leaving tonight. You'd be out of this strange wonderland that had been opened up by, of all things, a child. A child! If a child can wander through a place that granted your magic (screw genetics, this place had to be the source of it all) and survive, then you can power through this. You can control it. You can overcome this. The pain won't be your master. 

No, you will be its master. You straightened out, pulling the turtleneck over your head and smoothing the fabric out over your torso. Soft, puffy, white and red pinstripe, much like a candy cane. And some shorts, whatever. You packed away the rest of your clothing into your suitcase, then Barry's, then-

...Where was Jo's stuff? 

You couldn't ask her... maybe... Okay, screw it, you were going to call her. Phone in hand. Speed dial one. 

Ringing. You stepped outside. Ringing. The hallway was quiet. Ringing.

"HELLO?" The booming teeth chattering of Papyrus' voice bounced around in your head through the receiver.

"Uhhh. Hi, Papyrus. Is Jo around...?"

"OH! HI, HUMAN! YES, YOUR SISTER IS HERE, BUT SHE IS HAVING A... TALK WITH METTATON RIGHT NOW." You could hear him squinting. "THOUGH THEY'VE BEEN TALKING FOR SEVERAL HOURS. ALONE. IN THE BEDROOM."

"I'm confused. Where are you?"

"WE ARE IN METTATON'S SUITE! THE HOTEL HAS ONE FOR HIM ON THE VERY TOP FLOOR! IT'S LIKE AN APARTMENT! IT HAS A KITCHEN, A LIVING ROOM..."

"Oh, okay, good," you sighed, relieved. "Did she take her stuff with her when she went with you guys?"

"YES, SHE DID! I MUST SAY, YOU SOUND WORRIED. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN ENSURE YOU THAT YOUR DEAREST CLONE- I MEAN, SISTER, IS PERFECTLY FINE!" You laughed. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY?"

"You keep calling her my clone. We're just twins, Paps. Anyway. Thanks." You could tell that they were doing much more than just talking. "But, uh, are you okay with their, um. Talk?"

"OH, YES. I AM. UM. UNINTERESTED?" He coughed awkwardly. "LOVE IS NOT A FORIGN CONCEPT TO ME, BUT I CANNOT... SEE MYSELF... DOING... THAT SORT OF THING."

"I hear you loud and clear, no need to explain further." You nodded solemnly. "Right. Well, I owe you a spaghetti dinner for calming my nerves, Papyrus. Goodnight."

"IT'S A DATE! GOODNIGHT HUMAN, SLEEP WELL!" With a beep, he hung up. Wow. An asexual skeleton. He and Sans were total opposites, truly... Speaking of. He said he'd be asleep, but you wanted to text him anyway. You sifted through your messages, sliding down to the floor with a yawn. 

_> hey. made it back to the room. weird shit happened after you left. hope you're sleeping ok._

You hoped he'd text you back soon, but also, you hoped he wouldn't. Just what... what were you? Yeah. You liked him. You loved him, even. But maybe you rushed into this. Your clock said 4:37 am. Must have slept, if it was that late. Something about the buzzing of the hallway lights made you feel drowsy... despite the ache in your head preventing... well.. no, you could... yawn.. probably.. probably sleep...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jeez jo, get some lol
> 
> is it obvious i wrote this while falling asleep? bc im going to bed


	16. Maybe You Should See A Doctor?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an introductory sentence. This is a follow up sentence. This is a rhetorical question that will be answered in the chapter? This is a wild exclamation!! This has been a summary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is where i talk about something in my life. this is a follow up to something in my life. this has been a note.
> 
> current in-fic time: 8 AM-?? like 10 ish AM

"Why are they sleeping in the hallway, though?" 

"I mean, maybe they forgot a key. I dunno."

"Well... who's gonna wake them up?"

"They look like they're waking up already."

"Hey, kid, you can't sleep in the hallway." 

Your eyes fluttered open, neck sore from the angle it had rested in. Standing above you were two bellhops. 

"Oh... hey, morning," you yawned and stretched. "Sorry. Fell asleep out here really suddenly..." You pushed yourself off the floor, half stumbling. At least your head felt better. "I'll go back in the room now." The bellhops shrugged, wandering off down the hallway, muttering about 'weirdo humans'. 

...But, they were human, you thought. Oh. No. Squinting now, you noticed they had long, sweeping tails. But otherwise...? Well, whatever. You had no actual plans to go back into the room unless you needed to. Had your glasses, had your phone (still amazingly at a near full charge), had clothes, and... shoes. Yeah. You're good to go. Speaking of phone. You checked the time, and, more importantly, your messages. 

One from Aron, asking if you had seen Nate anywhere... and then another a few minutes later, saying never mind.... Two from Michael, a friend and classmate, asking about your vacation and if you remembered when the assignment was due (next Thursday, you replied)... But being that you had only slept for, fuck, three hours? It's almost 8 A.M. Well needless to say, Sans hadn't replied. But your phone had that thing where it'd show you when a message was read.

_Seen, 7:36 A.M._

Okay, well, maybe he checked his phone and went back to sleep. No biggie. Or went to work. Which was another possibility! Skeleton ran a hot dog stand down here, after all. Busy guy. Going between the surface and the Underground and... wow your head hurt just thinking about it. You could hardly juggle work and school, much less going between that, home life, and any vague social life you had (internet, mostly). Yet, with the power of magic, Sans could do it. 

This is what you think about when going down to get some semblance of breakfast. Eggs. Biscuit. Fruit? Nah. Okay, maybe an orange. No. Grapefruit. You stared at the pancakes in the steam table, considering... but, no, you already had a biscuit, you're good, no more for you. Unless you were still hungry. You sat, alone, wondering if everyone else was still asleep. You checked Tweeter, and, no, Zane was already up and on the slopes one last time. That's something. 

Facebleep showed very few more notifications, same with Tumbloo. Sigh. Slow week, apparently... You chewed slowly on the white of the eggs, dipping the biscuit into the yolk, when someone slid into the seat across from you. You glanced up and nearly choked, but should you be so surprised, really?

 

G̠̋ͭ̑̌͜o̢̭̟͎̜̞̜̮͈̬ͤ̽̎̂̂̍͋̏̀o͇ͮ̔ͩ͌̋̓͒̎ḋ̷͙̳͍ͧ ̱̙͓̳̲̼ͧͫ̍ͤ͒̒̾̌́͡m̑́ͣ̌ͪ̈̾͌̚͏̦͍̠ͅo̯̭̰̹͑̔ͭͦ̐ͪ́́͜ȓ͋ͭ͒̏̂̂ͥ͏̪̫͖̝̦͚n̛̖̖͓̱͔̻͍̥͚̔͆̆ͥ̉͊ͦ̇͡į̸͎̫̲̟̣̟ͯͫ͆͑ͬ͛̀͆ͤ̕n̨̛̩̠̟̩͙̓̋̚g̵̬̣̹̯̭̮͙͎̳̒̉ͩͧ́͑́.̵̥̥̫̹̩̙ͣ́ ̵̧̹̹͐̈͛̓A͖͔̺̓͛ͧ̽̿̊̇́̚͜͟r͇ͫ̈́̄̓͒e̞̪ͯ̈́ͬ̑͌̄̅͢ ͇͇͚͙ͧy̻̬̘͋̄͜͞o̧͈͓̲̹̣͙͛ͦ̄u̸͖̰̤̝̱̻̟͊̏̈͝ ̶̲̟̜̥̞ͬ̑̓ͣͪͭ̄́̚f̸̰͗e̪̪̮̹͌͆̂͝͝͠e̵̍͆̓ͬ́̍ͮ̚҉̭̙̯ļ̰͈̟͊̈́̈́̐i̧̛̛̭̼̩̺̳͔͚̗̍ñ̛̳̘̗̩́͒̄̀̿͂̌́ͅg̵̠̟ͩ̿̑ͨ͞ ̙̬̔̐b̼̻͉̥͙͍̠͆ͧ̔ͫ͐ͪ͊́̀͟e̡̯̪̻̗̟̹͎̪̿̃ͤ͛́͋͒͌t̨͈̩̮̖̘̖͆̉ͥ͒ͩ͘t̙̺̹̭̠̮̪̖̒̾̎̽̌͛̈́̀ȅ̳͙̃͡r̨̟͉̪̤͐̂̿ͯ?̶̝̦̺̇͌̓̿̈́ͩ̒̑́

 

"...This... why at breakfast, of all places...?" You shook your head, bringing it down into one hand. The pain was starting up again. "I can't understand you, Chelsea. Though you sound less garbled than earlier..." You laughed bitterly. "Why is this happening to me? You- you're  _dead._ I don't... people don't just..."

I̛'̷̨m̢̧̛ ͜s̀͟ó͡͏r͝r̛y.̡ ͏̶I҉͟t̸͝'̢̛s̛͜ a͢͢͠ ̀l̢͝í̵͟ttl̶̢e̷̛͟ h̵a̸r͞͝d̸.̸͘ Th̕e̡r̸e'̸́s͞ a̸͜ ̸̨͞b̴ì̶t ̧͘o̶͢f̷͝ ̡͝a͜ ͡͏̸l̵͝angu̷҉ag̀e̴ ̕͘b̸̢͟a̴r̛͞rì̕é̶r̕ ̷́b͘͘ȩ̷͢t͡w͏̕͢e̵҉e͏n ̕th̸̢̕e̕ ̨l̕i̴͜v͏̧i̢n̨̢̡g̴̷͠ ͞ąn̴̛҉d̶̢ ̶̸͢t͘͝h͡e̡̛͝ ̴̷͢d̶̷e̴̷̛ad̨̢.͞ ̴̡I̛͘s̕͟ ҉̧͡thi͘s̶̡ ̷́̕b͡e̶̴t̛̀͜t̨͠͡e̵͘͡r̸̡?̢͘͘

"A-a little. S-so you know you're-" You paused, realizing that this probably looked weird to the Vegetoid who was giving you a Look. You lowered your voice to a whisper, eyes avoiding her shifty form. "Can we do this elsewhere? My head hurts.."

Yéa̸h̨,̸̵͢ Í ̸͘k̸͘n҉ow͢,̵ Ì'm̶̴̛ ̶̸̀d̕͡è̸͠ad́.́҉ ̴I̧t'̷s ń̡o͘t̷́ ̶̕͡t͟͝o̕͝o̕ ͝b̴͞a̴d.̀͢ ͟͡I҉̛f̡͘̕ ̸y̢͟o̵̵u̴r̡ ̡̨hęa̶͢d ̧͡huŗ͞t͝ş,̷͠ ͢yo͘͟u ̀͢s̶̕h̨ǫ̀͢ul̛d̡̛ g̶̢o͘͘ ̕҉s̵̸͟e̴e͘͞ ̕͠a d͢͠ơ̴͘c̷̢̡tơ̵͝ŕ͜.̷̀͏

"Maybe when I get home. Which will be tomorrow morning. But I just- I just don't... get it. Why am I seeing you? Why didn't you appear to me before?"

I̧͜'̶̢m̷ n̵̢͟e̸̕w͡ a̴̧t̕ t̀h̸͜͠i͜͝͠s̨͟,̢ ̷̀͢wh͡͝a̴t̶͡ ̨͝d́ó̕͞ ̕y̸ou̸̕͘ ex҉̷p̵̕e̢c̢t?̵́

"Ha... yeah, me too..." You tapped your fork on your plate nervously. "Is... is it because of my magic? I'm not just seeing things, right?"

N͘҉͟o͡p̕e̶,̢̛ ͞i͠҉ţ̡'̴̀͡s̴͠ t̢͟he̡ ͜͟r̸͠e͢͏a͠l d͞e̷̷̛a̵̕l.̕͢ ͝Í͘t̛͢'s̶͘ ̴҉̷m̛e̛. ͏̕I͞͞'̵̶m h̢e͟͟re̸͠.́͠ ̧B̢u͜͟t̀ ͢I̵̷̛ ̷̵s̴͝u̡s̕p̀͢͟e͠͠͞c҉͏t ҉͡t̷͝h͟͟a͢t ̷y͢es̷, y̶̨ò̷̵ų ̵̕c̷̕a̸̕n͡ ̀͝s̶̢̧ę̵e͡ m̵̕e ҉̵b͡e̵̶c̀͘͠a͡u̷̸̶şę ̛o͠f͏̵͞ ̵̧y͟our͜ ̀n̸̛͜e̷w͠ ̧̛f̴̴o͠u̴nd͢҉ ̛ma̕̕g͞i̡͢͞c͡a͞l̸̴̸ ̛̕a̴̢b́̕i̶͡l̷͞i̵̕͟t̶͞͝i̸̧̕e̕҉s̕.̴..҉̴ ̕͢͝   She seemed to sigh. --̵̸-̢҉--͢,͞ ơ̷ǹ̡c͢͠e y̶̴ơ̸u̧̨҉ g̵͟͢e͏t͜͠ ̵͏b҉҉̶e͏t̸t̴̢e̶͢͡r̨,̕ I͟'̴͝m̕ ̢̧s҉͘ur͡e͘ ̵́y̢̕͠ou'̵͏l̡l̵̀ ͠b̛e҉ ̸͡ąb̡̢̨l̨̛ę t̛o͠͝ c͝͠o͠mm͢͢u̡n̴i̶̛ca҉̛t͞҉̷e͜͠ ̕wíth҉̨̕ ̴m̶͘͝e̴̡ ͢b̴̀͢e̶͜t̕t̵̸͞e͝r̀͡.̧ ̧Ý͝͏o̢u o̵͘͞ņ̡͡l͠͠y̵͟ ̛́s̢è̡e͝ ̨w̡͟͡haţ ̢͜y̡o͜͡u̴ w͡a͡n̢͢t͝ ͠t̕͢o̸̧ ̸s̨͘ée͘̕͟,̡͡ ͠t̸h̢͜o҉ù҉g̸̀h̴͞, ̸̵s̨o ͜ì̶̧f̵ ̢͢yoų̵ ̛͟w̛͜a̴ń̸t ̡m̶e͟͞ ͢͠tơ͝ ̕͠g̶̢̨ó̵ ́̕a͝͞way,͠ ̷͟I͜͢ will.̶ ҉

"What?! No! This-this is incredible! I-" you choked a little, feeling your stomach twisting. "I never thought I'd see you again... I... I can apologize. I can make it up to you.." You tasted tears on your lips. 

M͞͠á̴͞y̢̡b̸͏ę͡ I͡ ẃ͞͡asn'̨t̕͡͝ ̢́c̡͟le̕͞a̶̵r̡͞͠ ͡bę͜f҉ó͞re͢.́͜ ̡͠I͞ ̸t̶o̷̸̢ld̶͏ ý̴o̷͞͝u̶͞.̴̛ ̡́I͜͏t́'s ҉̶̕n̨҉o͏t̵͝ ̛̀y͘o̕u̴͘͏r҉ ̴̵̢f̢a̢ù̀͝l̢͠t.̴͟ ̶̢͜

"But I-" Chelsea looked up, her soft blond bangs bouncing. 

Yo҉҉u̸͢r͜ ͡s̢͜ou̵̷̧l̡͜màte͘ ̵̀į̛s͢͞ ̨̡h̨e͘̕͜re̶͞.̸͟ ̷̨̛Se̢e͡ ́͟yơ̴̷u͢ ̸̢ą̴r̨̕o͘u̢͝ǹd̛̕.҉ You blinked, and she was gone.

"What..?" A hard hand set down on your shoulder. You dropped your fork, wiped the remaining tears away (though, you were sure your face showed just how much a mess you were), and looked backwards. "O-oh, morning, Sans..." He swept a bony thumb across your cheek, bending down to kiss you on the head.

"mornin, handsome. why the long face?"

"I... it's hard to explain." He bounced around to the opposite side of the table, taking a seat. He laced his phalanges under his chin.

"i'm listening."

"Hard to do without any ears though, right?"

"heh, got me there. c'mon, tell me about it."

"...." You poked at the grapefruit, considering going back and getting that orange instead.

"----."

"I'm here!" You snapped your head back up. "Sorry. It's like, two A.M in the great state of lonliness over here." You picked up the paring knife and waved it, then stabbed it into the grapefruit. "My head is everywhere, Sans. After you left earlier... Oh, how'd you sleep, by the way?"

"i got about as much shut-eye as i could."

"...Okay. Well. After you did, I- I talked to her. I talked to Chelsea. Well, sort of. She did most of the talking. I couldn't understand her..." You wrenched the knife down, splitting the grapefruit in half. "And honestly, it was pretty scary, because it felt like something else was watching and listening. And then she was here just now, and I could understand her better. Like her voice was all garbled." You sprinkled a heavy hand of sugar over the tops of the halves of grapefruit. "Want some?" He shook his head. "Your loss. Anyway. She said.. some things, like, to comfort me, I guess, and then that I only saw her because I wanted to, but she seems to come and go as she pleases, so I'm not buying it." You shrugged, sucking a section of fruit out. "And I keep getting headaches when I see her, from my magic. Maybe it's straining too much. Maybe I subconsciously want to see her, like, you know how it is. I do want to see her, but this is just... creepy." You swallowed, licking the juices from your fingers. "She actually told me to see a doctor. Hah. Funny, right?"

"for your headaches? no human doctor could fix that." Sans sighed and leaned back, crossing his arms. "well. interesting development here. that's just ghastly."

"You choose now of all times to make a pun?" You glared at him, incredulous. Sans only snickered, eyes darting sideways.

"sorry, sorry, but with all that boo-hooing you were doing," GROAN "i couldn't help myself. i thought it might lift your spirits?"

"I've heard that pun more times in one week than I have in my entire life. How is that even possible?" You shook your head, fiddling with the grapefruit for another section. "Not like it matters. I feel like once I leave here tonight, it'll all stop, anyway."

"woah, wait, what? i knew you were leaving soon, but  _tonight_?" Sans shifted, fingers now gripping at the edge of the table. "that- wow... hah, time sure does fly..." He looked... morose. His smile faltered, eyes drooping. "is it selfish of me to say that i don't want you to go?"

"No need to skull-k about it." Ah, there was that smile again. "You live on the surface though, right? It's not like we can't never see each other..." Something tugged at your heart. "And... hah... I thought you were just messin' around with me..."

"messing around..?"

"Like... I don't know, the idea got into my head that you didn't actually like me. Stupid, right?" You chuckled sadly, scratching the back of your head.

"i don't go around just boning anyone that comes my way, y'know."

"Was... that... two puns...?" You sputtered. "Wow, congrats, you have my heart, here, take it." You jokingly pulled at your shirt and held out an empty hand. 

"wow, that's just heartless." You were really giggling now. "no need to rib a guy like that."

"HAH!" You glanced over and noticed that even the Vegetoid was stifling a laugh. And then you thought how... cute it was. No, not the Vegetoid, they're cute, but not in a sense of... yeah. You thought it was cute how these monsters, these living, breathing creatures, had a sense of humor. How they had been living down here, stuck for thousands of years, all because of humans. Humans like you. Humans with magic. Your laughter grew quiet, and you pulled your hand in to look at it.

Little wisps of dark purple streamed between them. 

"Sans."

"heh... yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"...for... what, exactly?"

"My ancestors... they trapped you all down here. And now I have that power... I... feel so guilty.." 

"where's this comin from? it's not your fault. you can't blame yourself for something your great-great-great-great" (he went on like that for about two minutes) "grandparents did." He reached a hand across the table, deftly avoiding the single shaker of salt placed in the middle, taking your fingers in his. Your magic continued through his bones, causing him to shudder. "eugh, feels like electricity." You smiled a little. "ah, see, there's the ----- i know and love."

"Don't-" you retracted your hand, biting your lip at that. "Don't say that..."

"what? love?" Nod. "why not?"

"Because... I mean, don't you think it's... a bit early for that?"

"i can wait till this afternoon, if that makes you feel any better."

"That, ugh, Sans, that's not what I meant, and you know it."

"hey, you said it too."

"Yeah, but that's just how I am! I fall in love with dogs I see in passing cars, Sans. How can I know for sure that this is what it really is?"

"does it matter?" Your breathing got funny for a minute. "even if... it's short lived... there's no problem with loving someone." He paused. "you were right. you kind of are all over the place today..." Sans shut his eye sockets, sighing through his teeth. "well. i'll tell you this much. i feel it, deep in my bones. you're pretty great, kid. and i wouldn't mind if we... kept on like this. making bad jokes, lazing around... seems like a good time to me."

"...Sans..." Your breath was barely above that of a whisper, aching. Suddenly, you didn't feel so hungry anymore. "I... I need some air." You hugged yourself tight, blinking in a flash of purple out of there.

* * *

* * *

 

"Wha- where did they go?!" Vegetoid hopped over, gazing at the now empty seat across from Sans. 

"teleported," he murmured. If he had a stomach, it'd be doing backflips. 

"B-b-but that's impossible! Oh no, not again..." The Vegetoid swooned, flopping backwards. Sans shook his skull at it, snapping out of there to follow after you.

* * *

* * *

 

He found you, after about a half hour of wandering around, talking to the air, pacing back and forth.

"Okay, but how do  _you_ know that, huh? Oh no, don't give me that 'all knowing and powerful' bullshit, you tried that when you were  _alive_ and it didn't work! What do you  _mean_ I really need to see a doctor?! No, don't introduce me to one! I have a doctor, Chelsea!"

Ah.

"For the love of- Chels. Listen. To me. You haven't been dead long enough to know THAT much. Don't act all high and mighty, miss former soon-to-be English teacher!" Her form kinda shrugged. 

J̡͜͡ust̵ ̸̀t̶r͢ý͘͝ ̨i͏͏͠t,̡͞͏ ̧w̛ǫn̨̛'̡t̢͢ ̡̕͞y̢ou̵?̢ ̧͟An͟d͟ s̸̴̨er̢i̛o͢u̴s̛l̨̡y̢͟.͏̛́ ̴̸̨D̕͢r̴̢. ̢͟G͘͜a͞st̷͟é͘r̷̡͝ ̴́į̴̡s̢ ̢̢͠a҉̕ ͟p͝r͟҉e̴t̕t̵ý̡͏ ̧̛s̨͢m͞͞͠a̢͜rt ̡̛du̡̕d̶e. ̛A͝͡n͘͞ḑ̧͠ ̨̀͠a̴̶ ҉͠m͡͡on͏̢ste̶̕r̸̴,̧̧́ ̵t̷͡ò҉͜ ̷͏b̷̡́o̢͠o̢̕t҉!

"Oh, lemmie guess, this is the same doctor who supposedly would help my headaches?"

W̧͢e̴̕l̛l̨̕,̶ ḩ̛͢è ̴́̕m̷i͏g̶҉҉h̛t͠͠ ̢͟hą̴̶v̵̀e̛ ̴a͏̛͝n̵̷ id͘è̡a̶ ̕͘of̴́͞ ͜w̸h̵a̵͏t t҉̨͡o͜ d̀o͟.̀͡ A͡l̢s̵̵o̢̢,͏ ͠S̨a͜͞ņ͟͏s̛͠ ̵͠is̷̕҉ ҉̛h҉er̷ę̵.̴̀ ̨̀

"Yeah that's great." You turned and gave a short wave, lips taut, before turning back to her. "You need to go now."

S̷̢̛h̀e̶e̢śh, y̶o̷͘͡u̕͠ a̵̸̴ś̴̛k ̴͘à͘҉ ̧͏̛g̴͞i̷͠r͠l̢̛̀ ̢̡f̵o͘͟҉r̡̧ ̸h͟elp͘ ͏a͏̕n̶̡d ͢͜t̡he͘n̶͘ ̴ma̶͜k͢é͡ ̀͘h̶e͟ŕ̷ l̸͘͝e̷̴a͢v̧͝é͢͢? ̵̨͞F̴̢i͏n͜͝e҉.̕ ̵͜͠Se͘͠ę͢y҉҉a̧.͡

You pinched your nose between your fingers, sighing through your nose. "Sans, why'd you follow me out here?"

"i was worried about you... and also, i'm confused. i get you're feeling like we rushed into this, but could you throw me a bone here?"

"Maybe now isn't the time for puns." You swiveled back to face him. "I'm just... worried. That this won't work out. I'm leaving, you've said you're down here more often than you are on the surface, and every time. Every. Time." You stamped your foot down to each word. "I've gone into a relationship spewing words about love, it's crashed and burned." Your fists tightened at your sides, bitter and angry at your stupid, free-loving self. "I don't want that to happen this time. But Chelsea-" You indicated to the spot of air she was previously occupying, "- _insists_ that we're soulmates, or whatever, and that her dead doctor friend or whatever knows a thing or two about souls, and there's this THING we could try but-" You cut yourself off. You were rambling, now.

"...but?"

"...But it could be potentially harmful."

_Oh hey, mornin, guess who ju-_

_Not now, Jo._

"what is this thing we could try and what does it do?"

"It. Well. Hah. It makes ME nervous. Remember when I tried to touch your soul, and I went flying back?" Sans nodded, still confused. "Well. There's this thing, called Soul Mingling." A flash of recognition crossed his face. "So you know it?"

"y-yeah, it's a pretty famous thing... i know the guy who discovered it."

"Oh! Well, yeah, she did mention that Dr. Gaster was a real smart guy... how'd you know him?"

"he..." he choked back a weird, garbled sound. "he was my dad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> psst, if u love me and want to help me out a lil i'm asrielking on tumblr  
> but also  
> reblog my art  
> http://melancholicontentment.tumblr.com/post/134045451888/i-really-hope-those-shoes-are-nonslip-grillbz
> 
> i draw hot flame daddies


	17. Soul Mingling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's so cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Thanks for all your understanding during this very tough situation. I have a new place and I'll be moving to Pennsylvania hopefully next week. But I have a little bit of down time, so I thought I'd get out another chapter while I could.

Sans stared down at the cold, hard-packed snow. A silence had fallen between the two of you.

His dad? His dad. The dead one. You tilted your head, blinking, lips pursing in thought. You lifted a finger, starting to open your mouth, but retracted it and instead, huffed in confusion. Okay. So. Chelsea knows Sans's dad. Is this a dead person thing? You reached into the back of your head and called her forward.

O̶̷̢͝ķ̷̧a̴̵y̨̡̕,̀͞ ́́͞w̷̢̢̛͘h̷̵̛͡a̸̸̢t̸ ̴̸͜͟͡n̶̡̡̨͘ǫ̶̷w̷?̸

Is this a dead person thing?? You, of course, didn't say this out loud.

A̢͜h̵. ͝͝Ỳ͜͡e͞a̧̢͘h҉́, s̸͡͠o̴̡rt̢ ̸̶o͜f͞. T҉̷h̷er̛̀ę͝ ̷̷͟ą̀҉re ͜di̴ff̴er͢͢ęn̴̡̛t͟͞ ҉p͢eǫp͞l̷͜e͢ ̧͏̸w͏͜ho̶ ̛g͢r͘ee͏t͜ ̢̛y͠ơ͠u͝ ̷t̷̀o͡ t̨h͏̡e̶ ̵̀́á̧͡fţe͟͢ŗ͝li͞f̀͝é,̧̡ ҉͏an̸d́ ̷̸G̴̕͢ą͝s͡҉t̸҉e̢͞r̛͘ w͡a̵͞͝s my͠ ̢̀͝guy̸.̸ ̴̛̀I̢͜͝ s̛t̀͜ưc͠k͡͏ ́a̛r͠o͞und͘ ̶̧̀h͏i̸m͘͞.҉

Oh. That's. Nice, you guess. You wanted to ask more, but Chelsea pointed out to you that Sans seemed really upset and you should maybe comfort him by telling him this? Your lips cracked open in a sigh.

"Sans.."

"...yea?"

"Chelsea says your dad greeted her to the afterlife. She stuck around 'im." You sighed, again, head shaking in confusion. You never believed in an afterlife. Everything was scientific and analytical with you. You turned your thoughts to her again. So, is there a-

I̵f̴̀ ̢t̴̛hȩ̷r̡e͘ ҉͜i̶̢s͘͡,҉̡ ̕͞I h̶a̶͟v͘͠e͞n҉̸̛'t ͝m̕͜é͘҉t͝ ̷̢t̵̷͠h̨̡e͠͠m̷.̴

Alright so just dead people floating around everywhere, great!

"that... hah, it's just like him. always a proper gentleman." Sans heaved a sigh himself, head lifting to look towards the sky, which isn't really a sky, just the endless inky black-and-gray abyss that was the Underground cavern ceiling. 

I͘͟͠f͜҉ ̛ỳ̕o̶̕u̷̢ ̨͜w̛͡an͘t͜͏͠, ͢͜I̧̛ ͟͠c̨͟҉ou͜ld ̧t̡̛͜r̵y͝ ̡͝t͘ò̷ ͏̢f̷i̶nd̷̨͝ ͝h̢ì͢͝m҉-͜?͠ ̴̢͢Ş̸̕o͟metįm̛͞es̀ ͏h̨͢ę ̀͝͏di̶̴̡s̡͝a͞p̀͡p̢͟e҉̶a̛͞r̸s̸ ̡̛͝f̡̡͡o̶͡ŗ͟͏..͜.̨͡ ͡I̡ ͢w̶̡an̵̸̡t͞ tó̶͟ ̷s̨̀á̴͝y̶̕ d̶͢a͢҉̢y҉̴s̢ a̧͟͠t ͢͏à͜ ̕͡t͟i̴͢m͝͡e̶,҉̵ ̧͘͢b̵̶ut̶҉ ̵̷̀I҉ ̀͏h̡͞a͘v̸͢é̸͝ ̧n͏o̵̡͘ ̡͜c͟͟on̴̛će̛p̷̡t o̕f̴̛ ̴͟t̵̛͠i̵̛ḿ́͠ȩ͢ ̶a͟҉n̸y͢͜m̷͠o͟re̷.͜͠ ̀J́u̷̡st ͢͞a̕҉ v͏̢̨er͏̧y҉҉ ̛l̛o̷ng͝͠ ̨́t̵i͠m̀ȩ́.͡ ̸́H̕e̛ m̵͘i̧͢g̢̕͜h͞t.͟͢.͘͜.̶

"No, no, I think we've had enough sadness for the day. You can go now." You waved her off, stepping closer to Sans. You didn't even see Chelsea disappear. "Hey, bud. You gonna be okay?"

"yeah, yeah, i'll be fine," he lied. You knew it by the way his teeth were set straight, but you didn't want to push it.

"Slight change of topic?"

"slight change of topic."

"I'd like to try that soul mingling thing. But I'm out here in shorts-" you gestured to your lower half, the skin of your legs turning blue against the cold, "-and I'd really like to do this somewhere warmer."

"woah, hold on, i'm not gonna just go and  _do_ that kind of thing with ya. it's... it can be super dangerous. i don't wanna break your heart, kiddo." His poorly timed pun elicited a groan from you. 

"Okay, you'll have sex with me, tell me you love me, kind of teach me to use these mystical, very literally life-draining magical powers, but you won't have a heart-to-heart with me?"

"...god damn you," he snickered, smile and eyes lifting at the corners. "alright. alright. but i'm going to explain every possible way this could go wrong."

"Great, wonderful, lovely, magnificent, can we do this somewhere  _warmer, maybe?!"_

"i know just the place." He extended his hand, the bony dipped palm inviting you in. You took it, blinking,

* * *

 

and choking at the hellish air that hit your lungs. Jesus fucking... lava?!

"Where the fuck did you take me, Sans? A volcano???"

"...close enough." You blinked, grip tightening around his hand. The heat stung your eyes and pained your legs from the difference in temperature. He took you to a... very... hot place. The ground was like gravel, air wavering in the gassy heat in the distance. Everything seemed to be propped up on high-rise rocks above the lava. You nudged a rock over the nearby ledge, watching it fall.. fall... but the light of the lava hurt your eyes too much to see it fall into it. "this is Hotland."

"No shit!" You coughed, shaking yourself to adjust to the heat. It felt like a sauna. "You're just gonna cart me around everywhere, aren't ya?"

"well, you'd have to pass through here later to go home anyway. don't you remember coming through here-?"

"I slept on the trip," you shrugged. A lot of it was a blur and there was magic involved and you just slept through the whole damn trip until you got to Snowdin. "I kind of suck at being awake for anything."

"no wonder you had that reaction to Waterfall. ah, whatever, it's what i lava'bout you."

"You're gonna magma stomach hurt with all these puns." You both sniggered. "Anyway, enough of this," you stepped back, rolling up your sleeves. "Let's get down to business."

"...to defeat the Huns?" You gaped.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE PROPER NAME OF LORD OF THE RINGS BUT YOU KNOW  _MULAN?!"_

"frisk likes to watch a lot of Disney. they're, like, eleven." Sans shrugged. Your hands flew up to your head, your jaw hanging open in astoundment.

"...Okay! So! You were gonna tell me something? You didn't have to take me out here."

"you said you wanted to be somewhere warm!" He gestured to the cliff side, squinting. "is this getting you too heated, maybe?"

"Ooohhh my god, Sans, just tell me about soul mingling already!"

"alright, alright, you really want to get to the heart of the matter, don't you?" You shot him a glare, and he raised his hands up in defense, then dropped them to give a more serious look. "so, like i said earlier, it's something my da- Dr. Gaster discovered. but monsters had been doing it for ages before then, he just really studied it. among... other things," he spun a dismissive hand. "it's... yeah, a way to decide whether or not the person, or monster, you love is a soulmate."

"So you can have multiple soulmates?"

"yeah. it's not uncommon. some end up being platonic, some romantic. it's just like love, but on a deeper level. you get me?" You nodded. Sort of. Polyamory was abundant in your family and life, so, you understood how your parents might all be soulmates. "like you and Jo are soulmates. you don't even have to do any mingling for me to know. anyone with eyes could see that."

"You don't have eyes, Sans," you said, narrowing yours.

"point taken! i'm not blind. anyway. siblings usually are, parents and children usually are, but sometimes... man, i've seen things, and well..."

"...Abusive situations?"

"yeah. that can fracture a soul- i'm getting off topic, here. that's a story for another day." He shook his skull clear of any distracting thoughts. "how it's done is the souls are summoned- and it can be any number of souls- and you have them... touch."

"Just touch?"

"yeah. it sounds simple, but if they're incompatible or even one of the souls isn't in top form, it could hurt. a lot. we're talking slow, painful death kind of hurting." Your eyebrows knitted together, head jerking back. "don't freak out. this happens pretty infrequently. usually, if they aren't perfect compatibility, it'll just drain you of energy. you'll feel sick and tired for a while. maybe your soul will bruise. there's a lot that could happen, and i... the last thing i want to do is hurt you."

"I think I can handle a few bumps and bruises," you smirked. "I think we're pretty compatible, don't you?"

"we- ah, i," his face turned a dark blue in blush. What a cutie patoot. "yeah?"

"Why are you phrasing that like a question."

"why are you phrasing  _that_ like a statement?"

"Touche. So, anything else I should know?"

"mm... not... that i can think of." Sans reached for your hand again, massaging his thumb in between your knuckles.

"Wow, you made it sound so scary and dangerous." You gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"i guess i'm just overprotective, heh." He gazed up to you, looking... shy. Your chest tightened. Shit, you... really loved this. "...so are you okay with this?"

"More than okay," you breathed. 

"okay."

"Okay."

"okay?"

"O... why are we saying okay?"

"i dunno." Sans shrugged, chuckling. "well. let's just get to the point." Hand still cupped around yours, he took the other out of his coat pocket (don't question why he still wore it in this blistering heat it's magic it's all magic) and touched it to his chest. You followed suit, willing your soul into existence. It shimmered, the glittery purple substance still swirling and churning. His was that solid blue with the gold rim, sitting right over his rib cage. You let yours wander closer, pausing it at a mid point.

"You gonna meet me halfway?" He nodded, looking sweaty.

"sorry. it's just.."

"Nerves?" A second nod. His soul inched closer to yours, at a pace that felt like eternity. Without your permission, your soul (much like something you would do) closed the gap and merged with his. Immediately you were hit with a million different emotions- love, loss, anger, heartache, depression, tiredness, and... vague memories. You blinked, gasping and clutching your chest. Your vision was hazy with a dark maroon, switching then to the dark midnight purple you were used to and an ice blue. You gazed up at the mingling souls, and together, they had created...

"shit," you heard Sans curse. He, too, was gazing at them, his hand clenching so hard around yours that if you cared, it'd be numb by now. "they're... it's fucking beautiful. -----," he turned his face to yours, "don't you think-?"

"Yeah, they... it really is. Hah." Your face hurt from how hard you were smiling. 

The souls, merged, had turned a semisolid midnight blue, with twinkling white lights sparkling inside, like falling snowflakes on a cold winter night or stars in the distance. It glowed with a warm, sunny yellow light, barely visible against the background of lava. Without thinking, you reached out to touch it, and it was... cold. It sent a shiver through you, and subsequently, Sans. whose breathing was heavy. 

"I never want them to separ-" and with a loud TING noise, the souls broke apart and quickly retreated into their respective hosts. You blinked, having been caught very off guard by that. "...ate."

"well."

"That was."

"certainly something." You both chuckled, albeit breathlessly, fingers intertwining and the rest of you somehow spinning into a hug.

"Hah. Hahah," you breathed against the fur of his coat, "I can't believe I doubted..."

"me either." He sighed into the crook of your neck, nudging down the top of your turtleneck. Something about this felt oddly familiar. "your soul is beautiful.  _you_ are beautiful." He pressed little toothy kisses to your skin, giving you goosebumps despite the heat.

"Sans... Maybe NOT near the cliffs of doom??" 

"ah. yes. right. my apologies. let's get you back so your family doesn't wonder where you went."

"But it's-"

* * *

 

"-only like 11? I have time, Sans." You pulled away from him, keeping your hands on his shoulders. 

"yea, but i bet it's gonna be a fluster of activity. oh, man, it started coming down hard outside..." Sans peeked around you, staring out the looming windows of the resort. You twisted around, gazing in the same direction. In the rather short amount of time you had been gone, the snow had started falling, and falling hard. You groaned, lips pulling themselves straight.

"Great. I expect this on the surface where I come from," because you grew up in an area where, during winter, you could never tell if a light flurry was going to become a full-on blizzard. "Just last November we had seven feet fall."

"holy shit," Sans snickered. "that's snow joke, huh?" You glowered back at him.

"Yet another joke that's made its run this week." You shook your head and pulled out of his hold, taking a few steps towards the doors. "It's already piling up against the doors... I hope whoever's out there can get back here safely." You made a worried noise, frowning outside. You turned back and made your way to the receiptionists desk. "Hey, do you know how many more people are out there?" 

"Um, no, not really," the young rabbit girl shook her head, whiskers twitching. "I just started my shift. Maybe... Hey, Kayla? Do you have a count?" She turned to a young human woman, and for a second your heart skipped a beat because oh man she was cute. The human, Kayla, apparently, put a finger to her button nose, then scratched her head through a blue-dyed afro.

"Somewhere. Last I checked, it was, maybe, twenty or so? We got someone out there rounding everyone up, and another who can use fire magic to help clear the path. I'll call the lifts and see what's going on." She turned away, and so did you because you did not need another crush on a probably unavailable girl (seeing as how Florence never texted you back. But. Whatever, right?), and walked the few steps to Sans.

"Well. I hope we don't get... Snowed in?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally wrote in Hotland just to make bad lava puns  
> and the 7 feet of snow in November is based off a real thing that happened to me last year! i couldn't get my car out for two weeks. it sucked. Fuck you, NY, I'm glad I'm moving FAR AWAY FROM THE SOUTHERN TIER


	18. Snow'd-in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sudden oncoming snowstorm delays your departure from the Underground, so what's the best thing to do until it's cleared by the people with fire magic? Why, play cards, of course! Or, get drafted into the (very small) army of people clearing the snow. And by drafted, I mean, literally get pulled away in the middle of your turn god damn it leave me alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyy it's like 1 am and my sleep schedule's all over the place. i'm moving by next saturday, and should have everything packed well before then.  
> if anyone wants to help me move in i'll pay you in dinner. and you can pet my cat
> 
> this chapter took me like two days to write why

The snow was falling ridiculously fast, with the last remaining resort-stayers being ushered back into the warmth and comfort of the lobby. Some returned to their rooms, some went to eat, some went to drink, and you? You sat there, dumbfounded at the absurd silence. It's not an uncommon thing for snow to suppress the sounds of everything else, but it was  _so_ quiet, it seeped into the lobby, the cold creeping its way through the oversized windows.  Who the hell decides the weather down here?!

"never seen it fall like this before..." Sans said in a muted whisper, as amazed by the snowfall as you were. You half nodded in agreement, keeping an eye trained on the door. Such a caring person, to worry about all the poor people out there, but not caring enough to go and fuckin' do anything about it, right? You felt a hand on your shoulder.

"So much for going home today," Jo said, appearing from out of nowhere.

"Fuck-" you jumped, "-Jo, what is with you and Sans teleporting to freak the shit out of me?"

"Oh, I didn't teleport, I walked right up behind you." Jo grinned and you noticed she was... not wearing her clothes. She was wearing clothes, yes, but not clothes she came with. In fact, she was wearing a large, fluffy pink sweater, black leggings, and cute matching pink socks. You suppressed a giggle.

"What's with that getup?" You pointed, waggling a finger up and down.

"This?" She glanced down, her smile widening. She pulled at the edges of the shirt. "Oh, it's just a lil somethin' Mettaton gave to me after last night..." 

"...I don't know whether to be disgusted or impressed." You shook your head. "Speaking of, where is wonderbot?"

"On call with... oh, what was her name, his creator, or whatever, Alpine."

"you mean Alphys," Sans butted in. "she's the, well, former now, royal scientist. smart girl. good friend. you'd do best to respect her."

"The person who invented Mettaton has my respect," you grunted, "'cause something that flashy and deadly is impressive in itself..." Sans gave you a smile and pat on the arm.

"And dreamy," Jo sighed, looking lost. "Oh, but Papyrus is with him, too. And, a lil off topic, but it doesn't look like that snow's gonna stop..." She lifted a finger to point out the windows.

"icy," Sans chortled, pronouncing it like "I see." Your face fell to a blank expression at that. "what's with that cold look?" You looked to Jo, who had about the same expression on her face. You took her arm in yours and started off towards the lounge. "oh, come on, guys! no need to give me the cold shoulder!"

* * *

 

It had been decided, after you forgave Sans for his flurry of bad puns, that you would call together the twins (not yourself, of course, the OTHER twins), Papyrus, and Mettaton to the lounge to play a big game of Cards Versus Humankind. Of course, Mettaton asked why anyone would come up with such a threatening name, and you had to explain to him the joke, and he refused to understand that it was just a joke name, and the game would kind of explain.

Everyone sat in a circle. It went: Carl, Ashley, Papyrus, Mettaton, Jo, You, and Sans, all gathered around the stacks of orange and blue cards. You cracked your knuckles (getting a jumpy look from the skeletons- made them uncomfortable, they explained), and deemed yourself the King of Cards for the first round. That ALSO meant you had the pleasure of explaining the rules to the three foreigners. First off, don't use your magic to cheat and see someone's cards or swap them with your own, whatever. That's just rude. 

"So each player gets ten blue cards." You passed out ten to everyone, glad there was many more where that came from. "The orange cards are the suggestion cards. There's a phrase or question with a missing piece to it-"

"LIKE A PUZZLE?!" Papyrus interrupted enthusiastically.

"Sort of, and the blue cards are the 'answer' cards," you made quotation marks around the word, "and you put down what you think would be the funniest or best fitting match for the card. If you don't understand what's on a card, you can exchange it for a new one at any point, but you have to face the resulting humiliation. Let's do an example round." You lifted the top orange card off the deck and read it aloud. "Ah, this is one of my favorites. 'For my next trick, I will pull a blank out of blank. Now this is a pick two card, playing the cards you want in order of how you want them to be read. You place the cards face down in front of me, and I have to close my eyes so no one is chosen based on personal bias." You shut your eyes and waited. "Go on ahead and choose your two cards, and let me know when everyone is finished!"

After a minute or two, Sans nudged you. You opened your eyes and picked up the first pair of blue cards. "Ahem. For my next trick, I will pull... shenanigans... out of... a really cool hat. Okay, that one was very realistic but not quite funny. Next pair." You went through a few more coming to the last two. "For my next trick, I will pull-" and you had to cover your mouth in a stifled laughter. "Wh- who- hah, hahah-" They read "anal beads" and "my soul." You bent over, eyes tearing. "This- this one wins!" Carl let out a whoop of joy and took the orange card. "Jesus fuck, Carl, that was just awful, oh my god."

"What can I say?" He shrugged. "Guy's gotta win the Coolness Points somehow."

"I WANT THESE COOLNESS POINTS THE YOUNG HUMAN IS SPEAKING OF!! What are they, exactly?" His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Oh, Coolness Points is basically if your card or cards win the round, you get the orange card, and those count as the points. First person to get to ten Coolness Points wins the game!" Jo happily explained.

"WELL, PREPARE FOR YOUR BUTTS TO BE KICKED BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS! FOR THAT FIRST ROUND WAS JUST A PRACTICE FLUKE!! I SHALL WIN NO MATTER THE COST!"

"Of course you will, darling," Mettaton patted his shoulder and gave a sweet smile. "That is, if I  _let_ you win."

"OH IT'S ON, METT!"

"Come at me, you overglorified vending machine," you smirked, adding to his growing ire. And thus it went for an hour or so, with various monsters and humans spectating as it went on. Papyrus, with all his assumed innocence flying out the window, was doing actually fairly well. At the time, he was neck and neck with his brother at six points apiece, with Carl in second at 5, you and Jo at 4, Ashley at 2, and Mettaton was fuming because he had a whopping zero points. You were King of Cards again, reading off a blue card that only said Bees? when Kayla came over from the front desk.

"Sorry to interrupt, everyone, but the snow has stopped falling and we'd like some volunteers to help clear the path to where the shuttles arrive, which has been plowed clear. According to my manager, at least. So, anyone with fire magic or a strong back would be greatly appreciated, and you'll get a free slice of carrot cake on us!" She smiled and you shot up.

"READY FOR DUTY, MA'AM!!"

"Wow, someone's enthusiastic! You're not just doing it to flirt with me, are you?" Kayla giggled.

"No, I just really like carrot cake," you shrugged. "Well, not to be that guy, but I don't carrot all about this game anymore." Papyrus groaned, Mettaton ignored you, and the rest of them snorted in laughter. "Anyone wanna join me for shoveling and cake?"

"nah, i'm happy with doin' nothing."

"SANS, YOU ARE SUCH A LAZYBONES! I WILL VOLUNTEER MY HELP, LOVELY HUMANS!" Kayla blushed at that. Easy blusher. You definitely needed this girl's number because dang. You briefly wandered your eyes over to Sans to ask permission, but he had fallen asleep. Wow. Narcoleptic, much? Eh, you'd ask him later. You thanked Papyrus. Mettaton made some excuse about being too beautiful to do work, and it was then that you noticed Jo's outfit matched his black-and-pink chassis. What... the... okay, no, whatever, the twins also declined, not liking carrot cake or snow that much themselves. So you were happily stuck with Papyrus. You popped back to your room to change into a decent fucking pair of pants who brings shorts on vacation to a ski resort in the first place?! You. You do. You are, in fact, that kind of thoughtless person to bring shorts on vacation to a ski resort.

Enough self-depreciation here, let's bring you outside! This narrator grows bored of talking about you dressing and teleports you outside the front doors of the resort, where Papyrus is holding a shovel out for you. There are about twenty or so other volunteers, clad in heavy coats and bobbing hats. You estimate that, with all of that man (and woman and unidentified sex) power, this should be over fairly quickly. Only an hour or two! And then...

And then you would leave the Underground. The thought knotted itself comfortably in your stomach when you went to pick up another shovel full of surprisingly light-packed snow. However, with the blowing winds, your work was quickly just slapping you right back in the face. You decided to shovel it to the other side of the slow-forming path, where it would NOT blow back into place. Papyrus lifted the shovel with a grunted NYEH, which made you laugh and ease away the knot in your stomach.

"Hey, Papyrus?"

"NYEH! WHAT IS IT, HUMAN?"

"...Ah, never mind." He gave you a confused look, throwing another shovel full over his shoulder.

"YOU CAN ASK ME ANYTHING! DO NOT FEEL AFRAID." You sighed, propping your chin up on the handle of your shovel.

"It's just... Sans is down here a lot, right?"

"IT'S SAD, YES. A WHOLE NEW WORLD TO EXPLORE AND MY BROTHER DECIDES TO STICK WITH WHAT HE KNOWS AND IS COMFORTABLE WITH." Papyrus shook his head, red cape (scarf?) billowing in the wind behind him. "THOUGH, I NEVER KNOW WHY I EXPECT ANYTHING ELSE OUT OF THAT LAZYBONES. WHY DO YOU ASK?" You shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, Paps."

"...I DON'T WANT TO PRY, BUT, PLEASE. I CAN TELL SOMETHING IS WORRYING YOU. AND TALKING THINGS OUT ALWAYS HELPS ME FEEL BETTER! IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR FEELINGS."

"Gee, Papyrus, you'd make a really good motivational speaker, you know that?"

"I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT A FEW TIMES AND I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS." You grinned.

"Maybe I'll show you later. My old high school health teacher is one, and... well, I digress. I just... worry that I won't ever see Sans again. And we're, well. Uh." You rubbed the back of your head, biting your lower lip. "Soul mates...?"

"OH, DID YOU DO THE MINGLING? WOWIE! SANS MUST REALLY LOVE YOU! HE HASN'T DONE THAT SINCE..." He put a gloved finger up to his teeth, pondering. "WELL, NEVER, I THINK."

"Wait, he didn't even do it with Toriel?" You scoffed, picking back up the shoveling. "That's surprising, considering her reaction to us."

"HE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT NOT HAVING A RIGHT TO. THAT IT'S WEIRD, SINCE PART OF HER SOUL IS MISSING, WHAT WITH THE PRINCE BEING... WELL..." Papyrus sighed forlornly. "I do not think it is my place to talk about such things. Perhaps another time." You tilted your head. Prince? You knew that Toriel is the former queen, and that the weird nursery guy, Asgore, was her ex, but you didn't know they had a son. "BUT IF HE DID IT WITH YOU, THEN I THINK YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! AFTER ALL, HE'S EVEN HELPED YOU WITH YOUR POWERS! I THINK WITH A LITTLE PUSH, SANS WOULD HAPPILY JOIN YOU ON THE SURFACE." Papyrus grinned with a brightness that almost blinded you.

Something about it filled you with determination. "Hey, yeah. Thanks, Pap. You're a real pal."

And you went back to shoveling.

* * *

 

You collapsed, sore and exhausted and full of carrot cake (of course saving the little marzipan carrot for last). Jo had skipped off, again, with Mettaton while you were off working hard. You sent her a mental note calling her some choice words. She replied with a snapshot of Mettaton that you DID NOT WANT TO SEE, PLEASE AND THANK YOU??? YOU NASTY, JO. 

Carl and Ashley got you an extra large hot cocoa, with bunny-shaped marshmallows melting into the steaming warm chocolatey mug. You thanked them and plopped your legs over their cuddling mass, sipping carefully at the cocoa. It steamed up your glasses worse than coming back indoors did, but that's to be expected. Watching your siblings made you remember how you and Jo are like that sometimes... more so when you were younger.. and now, you were getting distracted by class and shitty careers and love. Sans snored off to the side, rolling over to face the crackling fire. A frown tugged at your lips. 

A lot was separating you and Jo nowadays. And now you were afraid. Afraid that you'd never want to leave the Underground. Of course, you could come back any time you wanted, free of charge thanks to your teleportation abilities. But would it be worth it to just... stay here, with Sans? Well. No. You could actually make shows with your magic now. You could have the career of a lifetime. Walk in the shadow of all the greats, then stand in the spotlight as the best magician. And no one could get in the way of your dreams. You gulped down the last of the cocoa, burning your throat a little. Slamming the cup down on the table, you stood and streched.

"Woah, you okay?" Ashley jumped a little at your suddenness. 

"Yep! Just fine," you lied. "I'm gonna go grab my bags and bring 'em down. You want me to get yours, too?"

"Sure.." She handed you their room key. "Good thing you and the others cleared out all that snow."

"Lucky only a foot and a half fell, though," Carl butted in. "Else it'd be Snowvember all over again..."

"Ugh, don't remind me," you moaned. "I'm just glad we'll be leaving on time. You should get some cocoa for everyone else in the meantime before we all gather up. Seeya in a few." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i've been anxious and scared and i could really use some help. i'd rather not open up a gofundme, but if you have a few dollars to spare (like even $20 would help) to help me with moving costs (i just spent a lot of money on getting the apartment itself) and general costs of living until i get a job (quickly, i hope, i'm applying now), i'd greatly appreciate it.  
> I'll even write a lil sommin sommin for you, if you want. if you can't, just a few words of encouragement will be lovely. thank you all for your support during these trying times.


	19. Interlude - The Marvelous Misadventures of Jo and Papyrus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So... what exactly was Jo doing with Papyrus during all those times you were away from her? LET'S FIND OUT  
> (sorted by chapter, also i break the fourth wall a lot so have fun)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is, by far, the longest chapter I have EVER written. It's total filler, though, so feel free to skip it. I just thought y'all might wanna know what Jo was up to during all those times she was away from the reader. Enjoy. Or not. Final chapter out hopefully sometime next week (?)
> 
> this whole thing is basically one big author's note hah

**Chapter 3- oh no**

* * *

 

Jocelyn was just about to sit down and relax after a long day of skiing. Hey, stuff like that tires a girl out, you know? Well, maybe you do, maybe you don't. I don't know what you like to do. She had her boots kicked off, coat hung up, and was about to strip to her underwear when the familiar buzz and tune of her ringtone started going off.

"Oh, god damn it, what is it this time?" She picked it up. "-----? Well this is odd. Hello?"

"hey, uh, Jocelyn? it's Sans." The deep rumbling of his voice came through.

"The skeleton?"

"yes, the skeleton."

"Neat! Hi! Why are you calling me from ----'s phone?"

"because your sibling here accidentally got drunk." Jo stifled a laugh.

"Are you kidding me? How the hell did _that_ happen?!" She knew for a fact that you'd never had a drop of alcohol in your life, much less ever wanted to get drunk.

"i dunno, some kind of mixup at the bar?"

"That... Sounds like something that'd happen to them. They okay?"

"yeah, they seem okay. i want to take them back to the resort but a few of your siblings are here and..." He trailed off.

"I'm guessing you want me to come and take care of them, huh?" She replied with a sigh. "Yeah, just, text me where you are? I'll be there as soon as I can."

"uh, okay, yeah, i'll text you the location. thanks, kiddo." He hung up before she could protest about calling her a kid. She begrudgingly started getting her gear back on, grumbling in between chuckles about how silly this all was. A moment later, she received a text with the location, along with a picture of Papyrus and Frisk so she could identify them. Just a five minutes walk out of the resort to the snowman building contest. Alright, she can deal with that. 

Jocelyn arrived mere moments after Sans had left with your blubbering, stumbling ass, jogging up to Papyrus and Frisk. "Woah, would you look at that! Howdy!"

"HELLO, OTHER HUMAN! SANS TOLD ME YOU WOULD BE ARRIVING!" Papyrus twirled around, striking a charismatic pose. "I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! GOLLY, YOU REALLY DO LOOK LIKE -----."

"We're identical twins."

"I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANS."

"We were born at the same time and look alike."

"OH! WELL, I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF. AND THIS-" he gestured to Frisk, "- IS THE EVEN GREATER HUMAN, FRISK!" Jo clapped her hands to her cheeks, making an 'oh' face.

"You... are just... the mOST PRECIOUS LITTLE THING!" She squealed, causing Frisk to bury their face inside their scarf. "Ahh! Papyrus! Yeah anyway, nice to meetcha! I'm Jocelyn, -----'s sibling, but you can call me Jo." Little did she know, Papyrus would rarely call her anything other than 'human'. "Sorry to cut our introduction short, but thanks to my drunkard twin, I have to go and find my little brothers. Good luck with ah... whatever it is you're building!"

"IT IS A SNOW DOG! IT WAS FRISK'S IDEA!" The mound of snow from her angle barely looked like a snow dog, but Jo shrugged it off and twisted herself around in search of Nate and Jeremy. They weren't too far off, creating what looked like a dragon out of the snow. They dyed the snow red for the flames coming out of its mouth, and everything! Where did they get the stuff to do that, even? Probably stole it from someone, little turds. She inquired about this, to which accusation, they, of course, denied having done anything wrong. But she knew better.

This thought was interrupted by Jo being lifted off the ground and onto some very bony shoulders. She looked down and saw the grinning face of Papyrus below her. "Oh, hello there," she patted him on the head. She always welcomed a good ride. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"I WISH TO ASK YOUR HELP IN FINISHING OUR CREATION! THAT IS, IF YOU WANT."

"Pfft, of course I wanna help." She pointed a finger to the two younger siblings threateningly. "Don't think just because I've been carted away means I won't be back to have a talk with you two." Nate grimaced. "Let us make haste, my skeletal steed!"

"AYE AYE, CAPTAIN!" He trotted back to the giant snow dog creation with Jo in tow. In the, what, fifteen minutes she was gone, it had truly taken shape. It looked like a... Pomeranian. A really freakin' big Pomeranian, we're talking like almost your height. But it was... cute. So, maybe 'giant' wasn't the right word, but pretty big for something that was standing on four thin stubby legs.

"Wow, nice job. So, what is it that you want me to do?" Frisk patted her boot, causing Jo to look down at the small child. They motioned to her, then took one hand, fingers closed together, other hand copying it, facing each other by their neck, flipping the one hand under the other to rest against their collarbone; then pointed to the snow dog. "...Uh...?" Jo didn't know sign. "Papyrus, translate, and also, let me down."

"AH, I APOLOGIZE, I DID NOT REALIZE YOU COULDN'T READ SIGN LANGUAGE. THEY ARE ASKING YOU TO PUT YOUR SCARF AROUND THE SCULPTURE." Frisk rubbed a closed fist in a circle around their chest, then reached two fingers up to their chin, closing it against their palm twice in quick succession. "PLEASE, IT IS CUTE."

"Oh, well, I suppose, if you insist..." Papyrus knelt down, letting Jo slide off his shoulders, feeling suddenly very small in his presence. Dude's like seven feet tall what do you expect? Jo unraveled her favorite scarf, you know the one, like The Hat, only, The Scarf; then placed it gently around the snow sculpture's neck. "There! Perfect, don'tcha think?" Frisk nodded, a cheeky grin spread on their face. "Oh my gosh I am going to kidnap you if you don't stop being so cute."

This got her a frightened look from them. Stop being so creepy, Jo. She explained that she meant well and would never actually kidnap a child. Soon, an air horn sounded, indicating the end of the contest. Jo returned to Nate and Jeremy, who had done a fairly decent job making that dragon! It even had a little gold pile and tiny wings. She looked around at the other contestants creations. There were a few traditional snowmen, a visage of the fucking nursery guy? Asgore? Oh wait he was the king, wasn't he... Asgore, on the surface, had set up a successful nursery that quickly expanded into several locations, including one in your town. He went around to check in on them every now and again and I'm blabbering but you get it! There will be more with him in the sequel because who doesn't love king fluffybuns? Ah, also, there was a snow cube, pyramid, and sphere, all very sharply done. Some abstract artists gathering out here...

Judgement for all passed, and Nate and Jeremy won second prize! This made the boys squeal and hug each other, while Jo took the small trophy from the judges, thanking them. In the corner of her eye, she spotted Papyrus comforting a sad-looking Frisk who got only an honorable mention. Looks like the Asgore sculpture won first prize...  Well, she turned her attention back to the boys, glaring at them intimidatingly.

"This award goes to you! Congrats!" They started towards it before she yanked it out of their reach. "THANK YOU," Jo growled, "for showing all of us who you really are, thieves with no morals or conscience."

"We-we're sorry!"

"We jus' wanned it to look cool!"

"We won't do it again, promise!!"

* * *

**Chapter 4 - That Girl is on Fire**

* * *

 

 

Jo's phone buzzed in her pocket while she chastised the two for stealing the red food dye.

_hey, uh, is this jo?_

**yeah** , she texted back. Why would you be texting her asking if-?

_it's sans. i still have your siblings phone._

**oh, the drunk one? lmao.** Ah, that explains it. 

 _did you know they have you in their phone as 'Queen Bitch'?_ Several years ago, you and her had gotten into an argument where she was, admittedly, in the wrong, and you called her the queen of bitches. Somehow, that broke the tension of the argument and thus earned Jo the title in your phone permanently. 

 **yeah. it's kind of an inside joke. anyway, what's up? oh, btw, papyrus is amazing he's so cool and i'm not just saying that because it's snowing.** She felt a twitch of butterflies rolling around in her stomach. sweethearts like him always got her falling head over heels a little too quickly.

 _yeah, he is. coolness runs bone deep in our family._   She groaned inwardly at the pun. Papyrus came over to her, glancing at the screen, groaning outwardly at the pun. _oh_ , _just wake them up in a few hours and tell them to meet me in the lobby. i'm gonna take them out to a place that's good at curing hangovers._

"HE IS ALWAYS LIKE THAT. MAKING LIGHT OF A SITUATION THAT'S SERIOUS," Papyrus shook his head. "WELL, SOMETIMES LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE..."

**ooh ooh can i come?! :D :D :D gotta make sure you take good care of them. and maybe we should invite your brother, too? and lil frisk?**

_lol no, papyrus won't step foot into the place we're going, and he's spending the day with frisk anyhow. they have a very strict bedtime...._

"Oh. Oh well. Hey, Papyrus, what're you and Frisk doing right now? Maybe we can grab a bite to eat..?"

"WE ARE SORRY, HUMAN, BUT I MUST RETURN FRISK TO THEIR MOTHER FOR THE EVENING." He looked a little sad. "OH! BUT YOU HAVE A CELLPHONE! PERHAPS I CAN GIVE YOU MY NUMBER AND WE CAN CHAT LATER!"

"I'd really like that, Papyrus. Here..." They exchanged numbers, Papyrus making sure to call her to see that it was put in right. They were all about to part ways, but. . .

"HUMAN, I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR YOU BEFORE WE DEPART. DO YOU LIKE METTATON?"

" _Like_ Mettaton? Pfft, I  _love_ him!" She scoffed. "I'm a huge fan, why?" Papyrus's grin turned gleeful.

"OH GOODIE! WE WILL CERTAINLY GET ALONG VERY WELL, THEN! WE SHOULD WATCH ONE OF HIS MOVIES SOMETIME TOGETHER!" After a quick plan was made to call each other later and watch one over the phone, Jo took Nate and Jeremy back to the resort, returning them to the adults.

Her phone buzzed again in the elevator.

_they seem to be doin' alright. you have fun?_

**yeah, your brother is a real hoot. frisk's a cutie patoot, too.**

_heh, they tend to get that reaction. glad ya did. whatcha up to now? i'm about to do a few hours at the hot dog stand._

**grabbing some dinner. just dropped off my brothers. they took second place!**

_wow, they must be the real deal then, huh? no phoneys here?_

**did you just**

_i have a number of bad puns up my sleeve._ Jo sighed, rubbing her eyes, thinking how you and Sans would be the perfect match with your punnery.

 **dial it down on the jokes, bud.** She pocketed the phone again, feeling the buzz of a response almost immediately, but the need for food was overwhelming. She'd reply later.

* * *

 

Ah. You had gone off with Sans, leaving the whoooole room to herself. She patted her full belly, excited to watch her favorite MTT movie with Papyrus via phone. She grabbed a few pillows and flopped onto them, clicking on the television and getting Papyrus on the line. She noticed your text, shooting back a quick "omg that's adorable" before dialing. He picked up after only two rings.

"HELLO, HUMAN!" He greeted her enthusiastically. "HAVE YOU DECIDED UPON WHICH FILM WE SHALL PARTAKE IN WATCHING?"

"Yep!  _The Rose Captain._ " Truly a classic. Mettaton, captain of a rag-tag team of pirates, sets sail across the sea in search of a rose lovely enough to plant in his gardens. Along the way, a terrible sea monster destroys the ship and he is shipwrecked on an island with only a few members of his team left. Together, they work to build a life on the island, and the end is a touching scene about how he never really needed that rose, because they planted a seed in the garden of friendship. A bit cheesy and cliche, but that's right up Jo's alley.

"OOH! I LOVE THAT ONE! IT IS, INDEED, A FANTASTIC FILM. HAVE YOU BROUGHT IT UP ON YOUR TELEVISION SET?"

"Papyrus, my child, who are you talking to?" A voice came from the background.

"MY NEW FRIEND, JOCELYN! SHE'S A HUMAN!"

"Oh how lovely. Tell her I say hello!"

"TORIEL SAYS HELLO, HUMAN!"

"I heard. Who is-?"

"TORIEL IS FRISK'S MOTHER!"

"Ah. Well, hello, Toriel. And yeah," she clicked on the remote, bringing the pay-per-view up and selecting 'agree', "I got it up. You ready to do this?" Papyrus passed on her greeting and situated himself in front of the little television set, or, so he said. About twenty minutes in, just as the ship was setting sail, Papyrus had to run and make spaghetti. A chef? Yes, and spaghetti is his favorite food! No way, it's Jo's favorite food, too!

She, of course, told this to you through text, as well as asking you how your date was going. But she received no reply. Must be busy mackin' on Sans, she giggled to herself. Papyrus called again and she continued the movie, comments flying wildly between the lines.

"OH, OH, THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART!!" "The look on that guy's face gets me EVERY. TIME." "NYEH HEH HEH!" "Aaah! This part always makes me teary eyed." "SHH! IT'S ALMOST THE END!! THE LINE IS COMING UP!!"

 _sorry. bad date. i'll tell u later. smooches._ , was the one reply you sent her. "Ah, that was fun. We should do this again sometime, Pap-" A slight pain hit her head. "-Aaagggh, sorry, I just got a weird headache..."

"IT IS QUITE ALRIGHT! I MUST HEAD TO BED, ANYHOW. EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE!" He boasted proudly. "FEEL BETTER, FRIEND! GOODNIGHT!"

"Goodnight, Papyrus." They hung up, Jo trying to work through the pain with a reply to your text. She heard her phone buzzing again with your response, but it was getting bad enough that tears started gathering at the corners of her eyes. "What the fuck is this...?" A headache unlike all headaches..

* * *

**Chapter 5: It's Natural To Be Afraid**

* * *

 

The door slammed behind them, causing Papyrus to jump and almost drop Jo.

"Wow, rude, much?" She stuck her tongue out in your direction. A dull ache still resonated within her. "So, Papyrus, what would you like to do? There's gonna be a brunch going on with my family later, and you're more than welcome to join us.

"BRUNCH??" 

"It's an in-between word for both breakfast and lunch. It's a human thing, I guess." She shrugged.

"TWO MEALS IN ONE?? DOES THAT MEAN THERE WILL BE SPAGHETTI?!"

"I mean... probably."

"GOLLY! I'D LOVE TO! BUT..." He frowned a little. "I AM FRISK'S CARETAKER WHILE WE ARE VISITING UNDERGROUND, AND I MUST PICK THEM UP FROM THEIR MOTHERS. THIS MIGHT TAKE A FEW HOURS FOR ME TO DO."

"Oh. Well, I guess I could find something else to do for a few hours..." Of course, the idea that she could simply ask to come along had not occurred to her. "Could you drop me off at that room at the end of the hall? I might as well hang out with my sisters."

"OF COURSE I CAN!" He brought her to their door, gently letting her down to the ground. "WILL YOU BE ALRIGHT? ARE YOU SURE YOU DO NOT WISH TO RETURN TO YOUR SIBLING? I AM QUITE SURE SANS IS EXPLAINING HOW TO USE SOME OF YOUR MAGIC... OR NOT, HE IS PRETTY LAZY."

"I have a better feeling ----- is going to try and use their magic on him, if you know what I'm sayin;," she winked and elbowed him. 

"...DID YOU REALLY JUST MAKE A PUN THAT IS ALSO AN INNUENDO?" Jo's jaw hung slack at how quickly he picked up on that.

"Y-yeah?"

"DID WE NOT JUST LEAVE TO ESCAPE THE PUNS?" Papyrus sighed and shook his skull. "REGARDLESS. I WILL CAL YOU WHEN I AM RETURNING. HAVE FUN WITH YOUR SIBLINGS!"

"Will do, seeya later, Paps." She waved him off, and he went jogging down the hall. It was going to be a lonely and quiet next few hours, because Jo knew Liz and Em would just go right back to sleep after letting her in. And she wasn't so sure of how much of your thoughts would come through to her. Twin intuition (twintuition?) led her to realize your attraction to Sans the moment you first laid eyes on him. You always had a thing for the slightly creepy and macabre. Though, she had no room to talk, considering her new-found attraction to Papyrus... I mean, it's just a little crush, so she didn't try to think about how polite or handsome or tall or strong or cute or caring- AGH!!

Jo was not good at these things. You both had the same tendency to fall for people, or, well, skeletons, in this case, very fast and very hard. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that but sometimes it leads to a doomed relationship. She hoped, resting her head back into a chair she occupied in the room, that this wouldn't be the case.

And then she tried to eavesdrop. Meaning, Jo tried to reach you telepathically, but she only received static in return, picking up maybe a word or two here and there like a broken radio. So, she left her mind open to receiving and turned on the television. Mindless nonsense monster kids cartoon for an hour... or two.. or three.. Oh! A text from Papyrus. Bringing Frisk to brunch, if that's okay. Of course it is! Who wouldn't want to meet the savior of the monsters and their ambassador? Not to mention a cutie patoot.

And then.. 

 _I'm a little tea-pot, short and stout.._ Ah, there you are.  _I wonder what I should wear.. xkcd tee? Sure. Stand back, I'm going to try ~~science~~  funny clothes! Man, how big of a nerd am I? _ Jo giggled. You are, in fact, a nerd. This was the best thing she'd ever heard. _LET'S SEE. Well, I guess these jeans are still okay, but... need new underwear and socks.. Nice and fresh. Okay. Shirt. Right. White long sleeve underneath. Gotta have the layers. Jeans. All set! No, wait. Accessories? Hm._

Oh, my god. Jo can't believe she can  _actually_ see your thought process. The thoughts continued on, and she got the mental image of you looking at yourself in the mirror, along with an extra added pounding in her head. Great, thanks, you jerk.  _The purple eye thing is super freakin cool. Okay, pain, maybe be quiet until after eating? Oh, man, it matches so well with my clothes. Purple and black. Black and yellow black and yello-_

_You know I can hear you, right?_

* * *

**Chapter Six: This Was a Big Mi-steak**

* * *

And so, after being rightfully chastised by you, Jo dropped the whole filtering through your thoughts thing and borrowed a coat from Liz, not bothering to change because fuck that noise, and traversed down to the lobby to wait for Papyrus to return. He had just said he'd only be a few more minutes, and, he was, in fact, early! She appreciated his timeliness and complimented him. This proceeded to the discovery that skeletons can, in fact, blush. And it's freaking adorable. Though why it was orange instead of red, she hadn't the fuzziest, and Papyrus simply explained it away with magic.

Jo picked Frisk up, oofing. "Gee, kid, you're heavy for someone who's like, eight."

Frisk made a frown, pointed to themselves, then took the index finger and flicked it up twice from under their thumb. Jo squinted and tilted her head, giving the look to Papyrus to explain. "THEY'RE ELEVEN HUMAN YEARS."

"Oh. Sorry, didn't mean to insult." They just shook their head. "Well, hang on, bucko, we're goin to brunch!" Frisk clapped gleefully and slung their arms around Jo's neck, and the trio went down for food.

* * *

 After abandoning that horrific ship, Jo tried to be as seriously calm and collected as she, Frisk, and Papyrus made their way to the sledding hill. She couldn't help but wonder just  _how_ it is that Papyrus and her all-time favorite movie star, singer/songwriter, and killer robot, were dating! 

"Soooo... Papyrus. Are you, uh, seeing anyone, by chance?" She asked as casually as possible.

"SEEING? I SEE LOTS OF PEOPLE." He laughed at his own joke.

"I meant dating, you nerd."

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I AM NOT A NERD, BUT AM, IN FACT, A VERY COOL GUY. BUT YES, I AM DATING SOMEONE. SOMEONE YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY! WELL, NOT KNOW PERSONALLY, BUT..." He pointed to a red sled, painted with orange and yellow flames. "THAT ONE REMINDS ME OF GRILLBY."

"Wait, who?"

"NEVERMIND. BUT, AH, FRISK, WHY DON'T YOU PICK OUT THE SLED?" He lifted them up off her shoulders and they scurried off to search through the lineup of sleds. Papyrus took Jo aside, lowering his voice. "Well, you see, I try to keep it quiet, for his sake. But let me tell you first a bit about how we met, because, well, I think you would think it's cute."

"Entertain me."

"A very long time ago, looong before the barrier was broken, there was a family of ghosts living in Waterfall. One day, one of the ghosts had made its way to the library here in Snowdin. I had never seen a ghost up close, and they seemed very cool. They handed me a flyer for a human fanclub they were making, and, well, after that, I didn't ever see them again."

"Tell me again how this is cute? So far, I just feel sad." 

"Oh, just you wait! See, about two months after that, a certain celebrity made his premiere. I was immediately enamored with him." He took a second to calm down, as his excitement brought up his volume. "However, I did not get the chance to meet this celebrity until young Frisk made their way through the Underground. This celebrity is Mettaton." Jo made a fake surprised face.

"No!"

"Yes, yes, even I am still surprised at times that he calls me his own!"

"...okay, but you're great? And what was with that whole ghost story?"

"Oh, hah, hah, human," he rolled the lights in his eye sockets. "The point is that Mettaton recognized me. He was once that ghost and had become corporeal by Dr. Alphys creating a body for him. After that, we... how do you say, 'hit it off'? And he invited me onto his cooking shows, to all of his movie premieres, and even asked me for fashion advice once or twice!" She found that last bit a little hard to believe. "And, eventually, I, of course, being the honest skeleton I am... confessed my feelings to him. He was all too happy to admit the same, and it's just been such a lovely relationship. Golly, I feel so... lucky!"

"You deserve it, Papyrus," she said honestly, "a great guy like you deserves to be happy and with someone they love obviously so much. But now I know something about Mettaton that no one else does! Heh heh, this will be good to use in any quiz shows I might end up on."

"ARE YOU ON QUIZ SHOWS OFTEN?" Their conversation was interrupted by Frisk lightly bonking their choice of sled against the back of Papyrus's skull. "AH, WONDERFUL CHOICE, HUMAN!" He took it out of their hands, examining it over. "SUCH FINE CRAFTSMANSHIP... WONDERFUL COLORS... TRULY, A SLED FIT FOR ONLY THE MOST DESERVING!" They chimed a little giggle, cheeks puffy and wide.

"Well, now that our young master has picked out their method of sledding, let us get to it!" Jo took Frisks hand in hers, Papyrus took the other, and they swung the child back and forth playfully while they trudged up the hill.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: The Heart of the Matter**

* * *

 

Wind whipped wildly in the tangles of Jo's hair and against her rosy cheeks while squeals of glee came from- wait, those were coming from  _her?!_ They harmonized with both Frisk's and Papyrus's. There must have been some sort of magical slippery stuff on that hill because they went faster than any sled SHOULD have gone. But it deserved another couple of rounds, and quickly their breaths (well, with exception to our dear Papyrus), were short and panting from running up the hill repeatedly. Jo pushed away the oncoming slow roar of pain beating in the back of her head.

"C'mon, you two, I could do this all-" she gulped "-all day!" Frisk burrowed their eyebrows. "What's that look for, huh, punk? I'm fine," she patted the top of their heads.

"OH NO, SHE'S DOING THE UNDYNE THING."

"The who the what?" Frisk was nodding and making some gestures she couldn't understand. God damn it, she should have taken those ASL lessons when she had the chance.

"UNDYNE, A GOOD FRIEND OF OURS, SHE, WELL, WHENEVER SHE'S HURTING, SHE MAKES EXCUSES TO KEEP GOING, AND YOU SOUNDED EXACTLY LIKE HER..." Papyrus trailed off as Jo took in a sharp breath, shuddering and staggering backwards into herself. 

"N-n-no, I'm good!" She straightened out, splaying her arms wide and giving the best smile she could. A bead of sweat rolled down her face. "See? Perfectly fine. Just tired, that's all!"

Frisk made a pointed look, shoving a finger in her direction, then swiping it over their mouth.  _You lie._ How she understood that, she had no idea. She was literally JUST unable to tell what they were saying- maybe a new ability? 

"IT'S NOT NICE TO SAY THAT, FRISK. NOW, JOCELYN," Papyrus stepped forward, bending down to her level. "IT'S OKAY IF YOU'RE HURTING. WE CAN TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE TO HELP." Her smile faltered and she felt her shoulders crumple.

And then it hit her like a train. She could feel her stability dissolving into dust. In her final moments of consciousness, she heard your voice.

_You holding up?_

_go away_

* * *

 She didn't sleep the entire way, no, she half-slept through Papyrus's extreme speed running and shouting at someone when they arrived. And THEN she passed out.

* * *

 Heat radiated and enveloped her, a cushion to the magic screaming in the back of her head. Two distinct voices chatted somewhere nearby, but she couldn't really make any of it out. She knew one was Papyrus'. The other sounded feminine and older, almost like her grandma. She made a small grunt before adjusting in her seat. Her eyes creaked open and gazed around. A warm and welcoming site of... home. Home was the only word she could think of to call it. 

The fireplace seemed to be placed at her back, and a large, poofy blanket around her. She was in an armchair that was twice her size but well worn and comfortable. The walls glowed a soft gold and echoed off the hardwood floors. Across the room, Frisk sat at a table, humming and kicking their legs back and forth, looking to be coloring. She sighed and re-rolled onto her back, sinking into the soft cushions. She could get used to this. Well, maybe without the headache. 

A small 'oh!' came from that somewhere nearby and in came her field of vision Papyrus, followed by a bipedal goat of some sort, wearing a purple dress. Oh, indeed, she thought. Jo felt like she had seen this monster somewhere before... The goat kneeled down to the armchair, reaching a paw- okay, that dismissed her previous theory about a goat- out to her face, brushing the hair away from her forehead. Jo similarly reached out and pet the ears of the monster, getting an amused chuckled from her.

"My child, how are you feeling? You were looking quite disheveled when Papyrus brought you here. I thought it best to let you sleep..."

"Uh, be-better, I guess," she shrugged. "M'head just hurts a bit.."

"Good! That is good. Not about your head, of course, but I digress. I am Toriel. I am Frisk's mother and-"

"Ohhhh THAT'S why I know you!" Jo cried out. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. I just remember seeing you in the news a few times."

"I see," she gave a patient smile. "Well, it is nice that you recognize me, that takes some effort out of introductions. Papyrus has told me your name is Jocelyn? It's a lovely name."

"Yeah. Though you can just call me Jo." Toriel nodded and gave her another pat on the head.

"Well, I shall be making a snack before dinner. You do not possess any allergies, do you?" Jo shook her head. "Wonderful!" And with that, Toriel walked around to the back of the chair and into another room, which Jo assumed was the kitchen. Papyrus gave her an excited look.

"I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY! I WAS QUITE WORRIED FOR A WHILE THERE." 

"Aw, naw, Papyrus, you know what goin' through this is like, right?" He made a small nod. "Then you should know it's gonna all be alright. It'll stop. Someday."

"YES, IT WILL, YOU'RE RIGHT." He sighed. "WELL, THAT ASIDE, IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO FOR YOU?"

"Mm... tell me a story?" A cool cloth was placed on her forehead from above, and when she looked, she saw the retreat of Toriel's paw from over the top of the armchair. "Thank you..."

"A STORY! OF COURSE! I, TOO, AM A LOVER OF STORIES. SANS READS TO ME EVERY NIGHT, WELL, ALMOST EVERY NIGHT BEFORE BED!"

"Seriously? That's adorable. Sans sounds like a good brother."

"HE IS! HE MIGHT BE LAZY, BUT HE IS A GOOD SKELETON. IN FACT, THIS STORY IS ONE I HAVE ABOUT SANS! IT'S QUITE EXCITING, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE IT?" He waggled his lack of eyebrows for dramatic effect, making her bark out a laugh. 

"Yeah, Papyrus, I can handle it. Oi, Frisk! C'mere, kid, you wanna listen to this?" They shook their head, like they had already heard the stories Papyrus had to tell a million times. That, and they were engrossed in their little art project. "Oh, poo, alright. Well, I'm prepped, Paps." She snuggled in, giving him all of her attention. And, of course, in traditional Papyrus fashion, he would tell it standing up.

"GREAT. AHEM." He cleared the throat he did not have and gathered a look on his face, voice dropping. "Once upon a time..."

* * *

**Chapter Eight: On A Balcony**

* * *

Not long after finding a home in Snowdin, I, the great Papyrus, pushed Sans to get a job. We both needed them, after all, to keep up with the costs of living. I had just gotten a job as a sentry in Snowdin forest, well on my way to becoming part of the Royal Guard! It was pretty great. And Sans, looking up to me, followed suit, though all he would do is sit around and boondoggle all day.

"Don't you mean bone-doggle?"

Oh no, please don't, you're ruining my story!

"Sorry, sorry, it was too good to pass up."

I forgive you. Now, he would fall asleep at work, take breaks whenever he wanted, and since he started running his own hot dog stand in Hotland-

"Hotland?"

It's a place far from here. He would teleport there to work it. Since he started running that, I thought, okay, that's fine, but I wished he would focus on one spot! What if something came along? And, well, something did. We were supposed to be on the lookout for humans, but something outright awful came along. It started out as another peaceful day, and I was walking from my station to my brothers, probably to see if he was slacking off again, when something jumped out at me. It was big and furry and snarling and had three rows of teeth!

"Three? Yikes! So what happened?"

I'm getting to that. This ... whatever it was, it scratched at me and threw me down. I was hurting pretty badly at this point, but I know that there is never any reason to attack someone without some underlying cause. I thought maybe this creature was hungry or scared and was attacking me because of that. So I didn't fight back, and instead, tried to talk to it, but it kept taking swipe after swipe... and I... I knew I was nearing my end, but I had to keep going! I believed in myself and that this creature could be good!

That is, until something came and hit it right in the face, knocking it off of me. I looked to see Sans, and he was... glowing. I'd never seen his magic being used like this before. "you stay away from my brother," he growled at it, launching more and more bone attacks at this thing. I tried to plead for him to stop, but no words came. I was unbearably exhausted. Yet the creature persisted, until...

....

"Until what?"

...Until Sans used an incredibly powerful attack I had never seen before. It was some sort of strange... skull... it was huge! It unhinged its jaw and let out this incredible blast of light, blowing that creature into dust. And Sans was shaking, he looked... like he was going to melt. It was then that I knew how powerful my brother was, and that maybe I should be a little nicer to him. And, truth be told, I was jealous that he could do such a thing. So I thought I should create my own magical attack!

"You can do that? Just make up your own stuff?"

Of course! Magic is great like that, if you put your mind to it, you can make it. And one day, I was feeling actually pretty blue about all of this, and much unlike myself, I took let it out. I wanted something else to feel like I did. Blue. And that's how I developed this little trick- 

[Papyrus takes a crayon and throws it into the air, and in the middle of its fall, turns it blue and slams it against the floor.]

-making things blue. You're blue now. That's my attack. 

"I see! That's really creative of you, Papyrus."

Thank you! And my brother asked me to teach him it. He said that he really looks up to me then, and... It... made me happy. There's always something you can learn from the ones your closest to. And sometimes, I pick on him and then I feel bad, but he says that I'm kicking him into shape, and, well... That's my story! I went on for a little while there, didn't I?

* * *

 

"No, actually, Papyrus, I'm really- Ah sorry I just got a message from ----, they're coming here apparently."

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Love & The First Law of Thermodynamics, part one**

* * *

Toriel had led you to the room, and Jo sat in the armchair, accompanied by Papyrus. She was already half asleep when Toriel announced going to bed herself, and Papyrus arranged a blanket and pillow for himself to lay on the floor right at Jo's side.

"Oh, Papyrus, I didn't get to finish earlier... I'm really glad you told me that story."

"You are? That's good! I'm glad you enjoyed it." His voice was that of a hushed whisper, as to not waken anyone. He sat up, hugging his knees. "I was worried you would think I was weird for telling you such a thing. I meant it to be more exciting, originally, but then I became emotional..." He sniffled.

"Aw, no, it's fine! You're fine. I think it's sweet." She patted the top of his skull. "I... really like you, Papyrus."

"I like you too!" 

"...I'm glad. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight, Papyrus."

"Goodnight, human!"

She hesitated for a minute, then placed a small kiss on the side of his face. An orange blush filled his cheekbones and he made a stuttered noise. Jo went to lean back into the chair, giggling, but was caught by the arm with a light grip of his gloved hand. "H..human. Could I see your face for a m-moment?" She leaned back in, smiling brightly.

"Why, of course, dear Papyrus." He gazed into her eyes for a moment, then angled his face to press his teeth to her cheek, nuzzling them slightly. Her eyes closed tightly. "Is this your way of giving me a goodnight kiss back?"

"Yes," he muttered when he pulled back. "I hope it is satisfactory." Jo laughed leaned back finally, and they said their final goodnights.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Love & The First Law of Thermodynamics, part two**

* * *

 

Jo turned back to see that you were quite a distance behind her and Papyrus. "Huh. Think we should slow down a bit?"

"I AM SURE THEY ARE TAKING IN THE SIGHTS! WOULD YOU LIKE TO SLOW DOWN?"

"Eh, nah, the pace is keeping me warm!"

"YOU HUMANS ARE ALL SO VULNERABLE TO THE ELEMENTS. BECOME A SKELETON," he joked, "THEN YOU'D NEVER BE COLD!"

"I'd have to die in order for that to happen, Paps," she giggled. Her thoughts turned back to the previous evening. "Oh, um. Sorry if I made you feel weird... last night... kissing you..."

"IT WAS A FRIENDLY KISS, WASN'T IT?" 

"I mean... I..."

"OH. YOU. DIDN'T MEAN IT IN A FRIENDLY WAY?" Oh dear. She covered her face in her hands, breathing in and out through her teeth.

"Yes! But also! I like you! more than I like a normal person... you know?" Her face was red with unbridled embarrassment. He slapped a hand on her shoulder and gave a hearty chuckle.

"I THOUGHT IT WAS A KISS OF DEATH, THE WAY YOU WERE TALKING! NEH HEH HEH! AND OF COURSE YOU WOULD LIKE ME MORE THAN A NORMAL PERSON! I AM A SKELETON AFTER ALL. WE ARE GREAT FRIENDS!" She sighed and looked down at her shuffling feet.

"Yeah. Friends."

And then she was interrupted by you shoving a box of pie in her hands and running into the forest. "Yo whaaaaaat..."

Sans is a jerk, you've read the chapter, you know, and Jo and Papyrus have already walked so far beyond the issue that they can hardly see you anymore. Jo shook her head in disbelief. "Magic users," she grumbled.

"YOU'RE A MAGIC USER TOO, YOU KNOW," Papyrus playfully punched her in the shoulder. 

"Sure doesn't  _feel_ like it!" She threw her head back and groaned into the cavern ceiling. "I've been gifted with these awesome powers but only ----- can use them?! It's just- it's just not fair!" She kicked a little stone, watching it roll over the hard-packed snow. "Why can't I be like that..."

"ARE YOU... PERHAPS... JEALOUS?" Jo nodded. "I SEE. YES, YOU WOULD THINK THAT YOU BEING, ER, TWINS, AS YOU SAY, WOULD MEAN YOU DEVELOP YOUR MAGICAL ABILITIES AT THE SAME PACE... HOWEVER, YOUR SIBLING IS THE 'OLDER' ONE?"

"By like, two hours!! Why does everyone have to bring that up..."

"WELL, THAT MIGHT EFFECT IT! BUT ALSO, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PRACTICING WHILE YOU HAVE NOT?" This stopped her in her tracks.

"You know. You're not wrong. You are, in fact, completely and totally right. I haven't been practicing. I should change that! Hold my pie!" She handed him the box, then giggled. "Heh. Pa-pie-rus."

"PLEASE DON'T."

"Sorry, sorry. Okay. So! Now is as good a time as ever to practice! After all, if ----- can do it, why can't I?"

"I LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE!"

"Yes! See! It is all about attitude!" Jo braced her legs wide, bending at the knees. "Alright! I! Am going! To do it!"

"...DO WHAT?"

"Teleport!"

"OH. I'M NOT TOO SURE ABOUT THIS, BUT IF YOU INSIST..."

"Okay, Papyrus! Grab on! And get ready!" He took one of her hands in his, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"THAT, UH, DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE'VE DONE ANYTHING."

"Well! That's because, maybe I'm doing it wrong? Help me out here, Papyrus."

"I CAN'T TELEPORT. WELL, I PROBABLY CAN, BUT I MUCH PREFER WALKING!"

"...Sigh, okay, well. Let me try..." She shut her eyes, gripping his hand. "Focus... on... resort... clear image in your head... you can do this, Jocelyn!" The world spun and jerked her stomach like the first drop of a rollercoaster. And then there was the feeling of actual air rushing past her, much  _warmer_ air, and the very uncomfortable feeling of landing on top of a disgruntled Papyrus. 

"ACK! OW."

"Yeah, ow! Shoot, I'm sorry, Papyrus."

"IT'S QUITE ALRIGHT. BUT YOU DID IT! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!" 

"What the hell is this?!" The outraged voice of Paul wrenched Jo out of her dizzied state and focused her on the group of parents whom they had just landed in front of. "Wh- how- I-"

"I can explain!!"

And explain she did, much to their confoundment. Well, except for Aron, who was like "Always knew them two were weirdos" and gave her a loving flick on the nose. They didn't quite understand, but Paul took control of the situation and said it would all be discussed in the morning. Together. As a family. And then dismissed Jo and Papyrus, informing the skeleton to see a medic about the forming bruises on his legs. Nothing too hard to fix up, but it left Jo feeling like a shithead for hurting him in the first place. He insisted that no, he was okay, and he forgave her, and with healing magic he'd be okay in no time! Literally, watch. See? All good. Woah, what, could I learn that? Yeah, actually, most magic users can. Healing magic is pretty easy to learn! Oh, hold on, I've got a phone call.

....

....

"I AM SORRY. I HAVE SOME... BUSINESS," he narrowed his eyes, looking away, "TO ATTEND TO. AWAY FROM HERE. VERY AWAY. I WILL BE HERE IN THE MORNING TO HELP WITH YOUR FAMILY. WILL YOU BE ALRIGHT BY YOURSELF?"

"Yeah, Papyrus. I'll be fine." Of course, she was lying, but she wanted to save face in front of him. Okay I don't like how this is turning out right now so I'm going to use my Narrative Authority to time skip up to....

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Upstaged by an Overglorified Vending Machine**

* * *

AN: I'm also too tired to write this bit, so summary: she gets frustrated with the children and texts you, though you could have seen that with your Powers of Observation. You're a smart cookie. Give yourself a pat on the back. Before the performance she's literally just pacing back and forth outside of the resort slapping herself in the face to get her in the Zone. But a text from Papyrus informed her that Mettaton was there, and, well, she zipped on in there faster than you could say "wow, thirsty, much?"

And your performance magic set her OVER THE TOP. Of course, she was worried about you, until she was carted off to Mettaton's private room, where, well. That's a story for another fic. Yes, it does last the ENTIRE night. She takes her stuff up there, too. Anyway. Afterwards she's basically sleeping until... wow, chapter eighteen, I can publish this tonight hoo boy

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Snow'd-in**

* * *

"Kind of a rude awakening, if you ask me," Jo rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes. 

"Well, was the rest of the night enough to make up for it, darling?" Mettaton, still charging, ran a soft finger up her arm.

"H-hah, yeah, I still kind of find that all hard to believe.. ah, but, yeah, I think so."

"Lovely. Now, all of your stuff has been packed away, so I have arranged an outfit for you to wear for the day. I think it will be to your tastes."

"Really? That's so sweet of you, Mett," she craned her neck up and gave him a soft peck. 

"Anything for my darling star. I do it often for Papyrus, as well. It's hanging up in the closet. I hope you like it."

* * *

 

this is the end of the filler. i've run out of steam and i've been writing it for like a week i'm done have it 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> by the way...... the whole thing abt ghost!metta (hapstablook) is written in my other work, What's the Haps? I... really hate that title but the work itself is like my personal favorite fluff story.  
> the whole shenanigan she has with mettaton will be written as a separate fic, since i want the smut to be at a low for this fic.  
> next chapter, we come to our closing...  
> and...  
> some day...  
> i'll write a sequel... and there will be no smut!! pinky promise
> 
> i opened up emergency commissions because i'm out of a job and will be homeless by... well, i'm probably already homeless by the time this is posted. so please, even if you can't pay me for anything, reblog the post, it will help immensely. http://asrielking.tumblr.com/post/134945004719/emergency-commissions


	20. Please Remember to Rewind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your hopes... your fears... for him, will you put them aside and return to the surface without so much as a word to him? Or will you straighten yourself out and ask him to come with you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go.

At some point, you stopped to think about how it is, exactly, you got down here in the first place. You remember driving partway up Mt Ebbot, then going in through the former barrier, the throne room, the bed of golden flowers that put you off... and then it was a blur. And Sans said there were no snowmobiles down here, but there were shuttles?

Okay, you know what, nevermind, right? It's too much to think about and you're the one popping back and forth between rooms, gathering people and luggage. This was just a distraction from your worries. A voice in your head (Chelsea's) nagged you to go and  _talk_ to him. At that moment, your phone buzzed. You have the phone in your hand, -----,  _talk to Sans._ And it was just a text from mom, so you could you know... wait to respond for another time. Nothing important.  _TALK TO HIM._

_You really should, ya know._

_Mind yours, maybe???_

_Hey, I mean, I've worked everything out with Mettaton and Papyrus, maybe YOU could get your shit together romantically._

_Oh? Mind telling us exactly what it is that YOU have together, miss perfect?_

_Hm, let's see, well, Mettaton is going to help me move along my singing career, along with Liz and Em's, since, y'know, I'm a good sister who thought about them, and Papyrus is happy being my metamor, and who knows? Maybe something more will happen there some day. ------, I'm not trying to be mean. You got a really fast grip on your magic, but did you ever consider..._

_Taking things slow? You know me, rushing headlong into everything without thinking. Look where it ended me, oh, hi!_ You waved as you passed her in the hallway. "You're not wrong, Jo. I'm just. I guess. Nervous?"

"I can see that. You're literally vibrating. Is everything gathered?" She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, looking down to her phone and laughing. "Look at this pic Papyrus just sent me." You leaned over and saw a picture of what looked like a very glittery unkempt joseph... with spaghetti instead of regular filling in it. Your mouth twitched in a smile.

"The hell is that?"

"Spaghetti glamburger, the HORRIBLE love child of Mettaton and Papyrus."

"Gross, hah. Oh, but yeah, everything is gathered. And besides, even if I wanted to talk to Sans, I don't know where he is!" Jo clapped a hand on your shoulder and peered over the edge of her glasses.

"Buddy. Pal. Amigo. There are these wonderful inventions called  _phones_. You can  _call_ him."

"Oh don't go and be all logical on me." You rolled your eyes. 

"I'm not wrong. C'mon. It'll make you feel better."

"...Later."

"Okay. I'll be watching." You two fist bumped before going in opposite directions. You hardly got to the end of the hallway before she managed to send you a thought about it. You turned, seeing her facing you in the elevator with a smirk on her face. You flicked a hand out from under your chin, turning the fingers up and thumb pressed against your palm, then touched it to your chin and jutted it in her direction. Her mouth dropped at your foul language, and the elevator doors closed, cutting visuals.

Despite that, you still took a look down at your phone and sighed, deciding, yeah, call him. You touched his contact info, dialing...

ring.

ring ring.

ring ring.

"hello?"

"S-a hey! Sans! Uhm, I didn't see you in the lobby, just wondering where you ran off to."

"yeah, sorry, i'm a bit preoccupied at the moment."

"So then why'd you pick up? I mea-"

"because it's you, duh."

"Oh. Aw. Bhut. Oh I-"

"yeah, you're pretty great too."

"What?"

"hah! elaborate voicemail prank. leave it."  _Beep_. You pulled the phone away from your face, staring at it in awe. Did he really just pull an Archer?! Aside from it being not that elaborate, you were disappointed.

"Okay, first of all, that sucked, second, find me when you get a chance? I wanna talk to you." You hung up, blowing a frustrated raspberry. Okay, so calling him was a no-go. If you couldn't get help from him personally, maybe you could use the supernatural. You reached out for her.

Y̛o͜͟u̷ ̀͏r҉à̷n̶͏g͏͏?̡͏̵

"Could you help me look for Sans?"

D̴o̡͘͠ ̡͝͏Ì͏̴ ̛́͝L̴̨͝O̡͞O̢̧K͜ l̷̷͢ik͠e͏ ̴a̧̛ ̢̀͢b̧͘lo̕o̧͡dh́ǫ͡u͜͏n̕͢d?

"Well, no, but I mean, you're a friggin ghost! Can't you tap into your otherworldly plain powers and help me out? You're the one who told me I should talk to him!" Chelsea sighed, crossing her arms.

I̸̸͞ ͢s̸̛͠ùp̕͢p̨̡o͞͠se͠ ́͝s̸͝o͝.̨̀̀ ̡̨͠B̶u͏̛t̕ ́y̢̕ou̢ ҉̛h̵̵̡a̸͞v́͞é ͡͞t̢o͠͞ ̡͞͞d̷͞o ҉M̵͘È̸͝ ̶̀̕a͘ ̵͠f̴a̴͠v͞or i̵̛n ret͜ur͝͏ń̢͜.͜͢

"I don't exactly have TIME, Chels. I'm runnin' around doing all this crap before we leave!"

If͞ y̷̴͢ó̴u͘ ̛̀͞h̢͜a͡v́e ̢tį̀mé͢ ̸t́͡o s̶͜ţ̀o͝p̵͞͏ ͠a҉͢n̵̴d̡͞ á͜sk̨̀͜ ̵͢m͢͟͠é͞ ̴͢͠f̡o̵̡ŕ hè̕҉l͏̶p͝ ͡i̡ņ ̸͘fì̢͘n͘d̷i̴͢͞n͢͡g͏ ̨ỳ͠o͏u̵̶ŕ̶ ̕bonè͏fr̛͝i̡e͠nd͢͠, th̕͢e̢͢ņ͢͝ y̵͞͝o̢͡u ̵ca͜n̡ ̵̢p̶͞a҉̀u͜s͘͜͡e̢͜ ͜͡͡t̷͢͟o ́͞h̕el͝͝p͘͜͞ mȩ,̶͏ ̶̕t̀o̸̧o͜.̴ ̨̢͠   You made a small 'mmhrrdsg'. D͏o͝҉͜n҉͜'́͟͝t̀͜͠ ̀͝l̵o̸o̸̴͝ḱ͢ ̸̡a̶̕͡t͝ m̵̛e͟҉ ́̕iń ̛t͏͢h̵̀ąt͟ ̢t̨ơ͘͏n̴̴è̢͠ ̡͜o̶f̨̡͠ v́͢o̕i̷ce̶.̷ I̷͞͞t̴'̵͘ş ͏҉҉à ̶̨s̶̡͠i̛͘m̶̧̕p̷̴̡l͞e̡ ̵f̷̕͘a̴̵͘v̵̡̡o҉r͠҉.̢

"Alright, alright, fine, what do you need?"

Ģ͜l̨͢ad҉̢ ̷̴wę͡'̡͡v̢e̵̢ ͢c̷o̕͟me͡ ͟to͢ ͝a ̨͠͠c̨̀̕òm̕͝p̵͝r̷o͘͢͡m̷ìş͘ȩ.́ ̴͡U͏s͘͝ȩ̕ ̛́̕y̡͝o̕u͏ŕ̷͜ ̶͠ma̢̛͡gì͡c̵̢͞ ̕t҉͟o͝͏̨ ͏̸f̀i͘͠n̢͝d̶̀ G̵͞͠a̛̛͝s͢t̶̸e͡͠͡r ͢fo͏r̸ ́m̛͠e̢.͢͡ G̷ú̶̡y̵'̨s͏ ̵̧b̸e͟͢e͏̸ņ̴́ ͡g̨͟o͘͟n̵e ̴̢f̵o̷̡͡r̴҉͢ a͝͡ ̶ṕ̸ŗ҉e͝͏͜tt͏͜y̨͞ ͜ļ͡ơ͠n͘͟g͏ t͠ì̢͡m͢͠e̸, ̡́a̸͢͠ǹ̨͡d̴̨ ͘I͏̶͝ ̛̀m̵i̧͏ş͘s͏̧ ͘hi͟͠m̛.͏̀ ̵̢

"And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that?"

Y҉͏o̕̕u'̢̨re͜ ̴ś̴̕m͞a̸̕͡r͠t̛͢.͢͝ ̵̢Y̨̧̢o̢͞ų̴'̶͞l͘҉l̡ ̴҉f҉͡i̴͏̶g҉u҉r̨e ̴͞i̧͜t͘͜͜ ̴̡̛o̴̸͝u͞t.͝͞ ̨͢I͘͡'m̕ ҉̢̕ǫff͡.̢ ̶͏̷  She faded into the aether, or wherever it is that beings like her go when they're doing their thing. You honestly had no idea how you would even start to contact Gaster. You put the thought out of your mind and finished gathering luggage from the last remaining rooms, making sure everyone was cleared out and ready to go. You had no idea why you were rushing this, though. It was only about t-TWO IN THE AFTERNOON?! Jesus. You had two hours left. Two whole hours. Two hours until the shuttle would leave.

Two hours. Two clicks of the key entering the lock, doorknob turning. Two steps, two more, two slow breaths, two actions to sit into the chair of the now emptied hotel room. Staring up to the ceiling, talking to yourself:

"How the hell am I supposed to talk to Gaster?"

You had no connection to him, other than his son. You shut your eyes, humming. Come on, brain, give me something! And suddenly, the memories come flooding back. The soul mingling- you had entered such a personal space of his, you could use this to your advantage! Okay, that's a start. You were really reaching here. But sifting through Sans's memories was not an easy task, considering they were meshed and confused with your own. Gaster. W.D. Gaster. Come on. Come on, I need to find you. You reached into the darkness, and through the darkness came a voice.

 ((Are you, perhaps, looking for someone?))

Yeah, you're looking for someone! ((Maybe I could be of some assistance.))Okay, thanks, but no thanks, I don't think my own mind is going to be much help. So mind yours.

((...you are just like Sans.))

Wait, what?

((Sometimes what you are looking for is right in front of you.))

"Okay, could you be a little more clear? Whatever... whoever this is, you sound like my own voice inside my head."

((Ah, I am sorry. You reached out for me, and here I am.))

"Ask and ye shall receive? Heh. So, you're Gaster?"

 ((I am. Apologies to our mutual friend, Chelsea. Sweet girl, but it is hard for me to stick around. Even this... I cannot hold for long.))

Another presence formed in the room. "hey, uh, i got your message.." You shoved a finger out, asking him to hold on a moment.

"Sans is here, should I pass on a message to him?"

"why are you using sign language to no one?"

As suddenly as Gaster had come in your head, he had gone. Your eyes flew open and turned to Sans, who had situated himself on the bed.

"I was talking to someone. Sorry."

"yeah? your hands were flyin' everywhere. i thought you didn't know sign?"

"I don't," you looked to your hands, raising an eyebrow, "did your dad know?" Sans stiffened.

"y..yeah...?"

"That might explain it... I was talking to him, up here," you tapped a finger against your forehead. "He said he'll see you soon. Which is vaguely threatening, if you ask me. You okay?" His bones were rattling, eyes gone dark. 

"i'm... fine..." he muttered through his teeth. "how... did you talk to him..?"

"Mmm. I guess I used the memories our soul mingling gave me, or something...? I just... reached out for him."

"hm. i see." Sans took in a deep breath, eyes returning to their normal dim glow. "sorry. i don't think i'm ready for this. could we change subjects..?"

"Yeah! Sure! Sorry..." You leaned forward, elbows on your knees. "I actually wanted to ask you about... how this is going to all work out. Us. Because I'm leaving really soon, and, well..."

"you don't have to leave. you aren't a tree, you know... you're not rooted here."

"Wow, two puns in one. But, um, I don't think you know how this works. I can't just  _stay_. I have a job, school, and family to attend to, you know. I can't drop everything because.... wait, why would you ask me to stay?"

"....maybe because i'm lazy? hell if i know," he shrugged. "i like it here... surface is nice, but, you said so yourself, 'why would anyone want to leave?'"

"Oh. I did say that. Mm. Well. Maybe because they had a good reason to. Do you think I'm good enough reason to leave? Your brother? Frisk? Are they at all good reasons to leave?" He averted his gaze, staring down to the floor. "Sans... please. If not for me, for them. Papyrus lives on the surface, doesn't he?" Nod. "And Frisk?" Nod. "And all your other friends?" ....Nod. "So then what's the problem?"

"...you can't begin to understand how this feels."

"Sans!"

"i'm sorry." You reached out for him, but he was already gone. You swore, clenching your fist where it hung in the air. What the hell is wrong with him? 

...Better question, what the hell is wrong with  _you_?

* * *

 

"...Last call for the shuttle departing to..." The announcement rang out from the vehicle, inside which your family had already been sat and settled. You rested your head against the cool glass of the window, sighing forlornly. Jo, of course, sitting next to you, tried to pry out of you what was wrong, but you just gave her free reign of your thoughts. All she could manage was a "damn, sorry," and give you a pat on the shoulder.

The shuttle pulled away from the resort. You don't remember how you got back to the castle, but after about an hours travel, there you were. The bed of golden flowers. You lingered behind and plucked one for yourself to keep. The barrier. And the bright sun shined down on you, greeting you back to the surface. Back to home. You could see your home town in the distance. The forest below, cold sky above, and you at the site of where the monsters had first seen the same filled you with a feeling of...

...sadly, nothing.

"Hey, -----, c'mon. Mom's waiting for us," Jo nudged you.

"Yeah, I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...sorry, sad ending.  
>  In the upcoming sequel to On A Balcony: further in-depth explanation and discovery of the twins' magical abilities, the advancement in plot of where their careers take them, and, of course, the slightly confusing love between Sans and reader.
> 
> In the meantime, I will be finishing What Ever Happened? (and its sequel); :||:, and Always Gold. I feel I've abandoned them, and I've been working on this for so long... time for some angst, you know? Hah. I also have a surprise up my sleeve for the holidays! A fun crossover fic to be published on Christmas. If, for some reason I don't have it finished by then, I'll publish it on New Years. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading, commenting, kudos'ing, etc. You've been a great audience. If you like my work, feel free to share it, and you can contact me on tumblr at asrielking.tumblr.com. I'm taking commissions now so I can survive the next few weeks. Hope to see you all again!

**Author's Note:**

> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ykYyk34jtUBEFVrBAd05t25nUn3r3SUxmH1O897ZQE4/edit?usp=sharing  
> this is a family tree reference. sorry for the horrible handwriting  
> rating changed due to a lot of swears


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